100 Mile Yard Sale and a Bear

This is the weekend for the 100 mile long yard sale.  Last year we participated by selling.  This year we tried shopping. 

V was looking for things for her new house.  All that she managed to find were 2 shirts at our neighbor's house.  I decided that the stuff everyone else was selling was worse than what I wanted to get rid of so I had no trouble not buying anything. 

The fire station was selling hot dogs so J treated us to lunch there for a good cause.  Then we quit and came home.

Now for the bear. 

Tuesday J saw a bear in the area he refers to as "the gorge".  The was on top of the hill and the bear was down here near the creek.  We rode Brother and Otoelene through here this morning before the yard sale.  I said I would like to set up the trail cam to see if we could catch the bear. 

So this afternoon we went on a hike to the gorge. 

We found several things that we interpreted to be bear signs.  This log was rolled out. 

We imagined that these were claw marks.  

I'm pretty sure that this is a large track of some sort. 

And this log was torn up.  

Deciding that this was a good place we crossed Chaney Branch to set up the trail cam at a path between the fence and creek. 

V made the final inspection and turned it on.  Now we will wait a few days then see what we caught.

Good Fences #123

J and I had a nice ride up to our other farm.

J has declared this the summer of Brother so he is trying to ride every morning. 

Sometimes we ride here at home; sometimes we ride the 2 miles up the rode to this farm. Sometimes we haul the horses and go trail riding. 

The chickory and queen ann's lace were beautiful.

Emma has been getting a lot of exercise too.

For more Good Fences click HERE.

Blackberries By The Gallon

For Mother's Day a couple of years ago V and E gave me some blackberry vines.  Through a little self propagation they have turned into a blackberry hedge.  

This year I have tons of blackberries. 

The season got off to a rocky start with the Japanese beetles started devouring the leaves and all the stores were out of traps.  I persisted in my hunt and finally found some traps and have since disposed of 8 bags of beetles. 

Now I have 4 quarts of syrup packed blackberries,

seven pints of blackberry jam, (which technically is a thick syrup seeing as how it didn't set up like the pectinless recipe said it would)

• a fresh blackberry pie and more berries in the fridge and on the vine.  E has made a cobbler and a crumble.  And I have given a gallon away to J's family.  Any more suggestions?

Just Kit Sunday #107

The hay makes a nice backdrop for this weeks Kit Kat photo.  Love how his eyes match the grass.

Water Problem - Solved

For some time now we have been noticing that our well pump has been kicking on at odd times when we aren't using any water.  At first we were attributing it to all the leaky faucets, or toilets,  or the ice maker.  Then one day I had to go under the house for something so I inspected the pipes there.  Low and behold I found another leak.  The plumber came out and both the hot and cold copper pipes to the guest bath sink had pin holes.  So we now have a new hole in the wall but worse crisis averted.  

However, the pump problem persisted and got worse.  At night I could here it clicking on every 15 - 30 minutes. 

 Then yesterday, as I was walking through our drought stricken yard, I noticed some very green, lush grass.  A few more steps and I was back on the crackling brown grass.  I turned back around and saw the puddle around the well.

 So the hole was begun.  We ran into lots of roots that J kept blaming for the problem.

 We ran into a big yellow jacket nest.  Thankfully, no stings.

 We got out lots of tools.

And finally found the leak in yet another copper pipe.

That's a pretty good size hole to have poring water out.

When I put the flower bed in around the well J warned me that if we ever had well  problems it would have to be dug up.  I said I was fine with that but that was when I was 15 years younger.  My back is already hurting just thinking about rearranging those rocks for the wall. 

Anyone want to come help?

Sweetwater Day 80

I  had done everything I knew to do to prepare Sweetwater to be ridden.  I have probably put in 200 hours over the last 80 days with her.   I've ponied her, driven her with long lines inside and out, loaded sand bags and milk jugs on her, sat on her bare back and with the saddle, stood in the stirrup multiple times, desensitized her to everything I had in the barn, loaded her in the horse and livestock trailers, trimmed her feet and then some, but apparently it wasn't enough. 

     Yesterday, with J's help, I tried to get on.  I had set the round pen back up in the barn and made it about 35 feet in diameter.  With J holding the lunge line, Sweetwater saddled and worked for about an hour, I put my foot in the stirrup and hopped up, sat on the cantle with my hip still on one side then stepped back down.  So far so good.  Next, same thing but swung my leg over and sat in the saddle, 15 seconds, then got back off.  She jumped out sideways.  Worked her some more stepped up and down in the stirrup until she was still again then got back on, flexed her neck left then right then got back off.
   
 My hope for the next step was to get on, sit until she seemed comfortable then get her to move her hip over.  Things didn't go as planned.  When I got on she immediately started jumping/bucking sideways to the right.  I remember looking down and thinking that at least I had a good grip on the pommel.  J was trying to keep her head pulled to the left and I was pulling with the left rein for all I was worth.   She then pulled the rope through J's hands and was bucking full force as we got to the fence.  She broke right and I jumped left.  I had seen how she bucked with the introduction of the lead rope, the saddle and the long lines, and I knew I was in for it if I had tried to stay on.   I landed on my face, hands and right knee, which started swelling immediately.  I'm very lucky that nothing is broken or permanently damaged.  My knee will be sore for a few days but it could have been worse.
 
 I think this will be my last try with her.  Maybe with hobbles and a rear leg tied up, or tranquilized (which I am not doing)  someone could get on but it isn't going to be me.  It just isn't worth the risk.  She has come a long way, just not far enough for this event.

2 Hour Farm Tour

Warning, picture heavy post to follow,

J and I rode around the farm for a couple of hours yesterday.  

 We started by heading down the driveway.

 Then a right at the cattle guard to head up though the pine trees.

 When we built new fence last year we had a new gate put in on top, so through the gate,

 then across the top of the hill in front of the house.  That is this year's hay supply that we just finished having hauled in.

 We passed the heifers,

 then across the backside of the hill in front of the house.

 There is a little wooded section next to the gravel road.

 Then along the line fence between us and Stroups.

 We crossed Chaney Branch,

 went though a field of wildflowers.

 and between Chaney Branch and our other neighbors.

 We came back across Chaney Branch,

 then though the small isolated bottom.

 Back up the hill,

though the old hay field.  

That then took us past the bull lot.

Had to take a break to drink from the tire trough.

Then on through the holler, 

to the bottom.

We then headed up the next holler below the house,

and around the field below the barn.

There was another small water crossing,

before we headed up the backside of the big hill.

Brother wanted to take charge while J was opening a gate.

Then the final stretch back toward the house.
There were a few areas we didn't cover, but that was enough for one day.