Spokane and farm roads.

I had an appointment at the Federal Court House in Spokane where I was finger printed and had my mug shot taken. I lived in the US for 38 years and stubbornly refuse to become an American and so being 100% British I have to update my alien registration card (green card) every now and again.

We took a walk from the Thomas S Foley Federal Building through downtown Spokane. Teddy was a bit scared walking past the buses at the bus station. She wasn't so much frightened of the crowds but the noisy hissing buses.

No Teddy didn't go shopping at Macy's ..........

She went somewhere more fun.........Spokane's Riverfront Park! There used to be a vast train depot here which was demolished for the '74 Expo. The 100 acre area hosted the 1974 World Fair and afterwards was turned into a lovely park. They kept the clock tower from the Great Northern train depot.

I moved to Spokane in 1977 and have always thought Riverfront park to be really lovely.

Here's Teddy doing what she loves, sitting on top of the stack watching while William feeds the cows.

Before the snow came Brad and William resurfaced our farm roads.

Here's William getting gravel from the pit.

He loads it into one of our trucks to haul back. He hauled a couple of dozen loads altogether.

Brad levels the surface with the kellifer.

Brad spots Teddy who is driving around with me as we keep an eye on progress.

William uses the rock roller to make it all smooth.

Watch your toes!

Brad looks forward to his noontime nap and so do the pets. Blondie is the lump under the blanket. Teddy is also a lap dog. Thank goodness old Bobby doesn't pile on as well! Sometimes our cat, Tommy Two Tone sits on top of Blondie while she's under the blanket....Blondie growls for awhile till she starts to enjoy the extra warmth.

In Spokane I thought as long as I walked slowly I'd be okay, but returning to the car the last three blocks were very difficult for me, almost impossible. My muscles seem to cramp up, get weak and all that nonsense. I really think I'm 'tying up' like a horse does. Hmmm....I wonder. Human doctors haven't been able to help, maybe I should haul myself to our vets.

Where does the time go....

Echo and Dandylyons have been getting along pretty good. Echo is not a bossy horse but he likes to know where Dandylyons is and takes his naps near her.

Sunday Brad put a 50lb salt block in the feeder for Dandylyons and Echo. I called them both over to it so I could show them where it was. Soon as Dandylyons lumbered up I saw blood on her throat. It seems she has had a cheat seed abscess and it started to ruptured. I touched it and stuff starting coming out. I can't believe I didn't notice the thing. I'm with her everyday. She is completely toothless due to her advance years and I was thinking her face was looking odd because of it.

Brad reached down to feel the abscess and it exploded. Luckily the blast went down into the ground and not onto us. That cheat grass abscess junk is as nasty as it gets. It must have been really hurt her and she tucked her chin under and wouldn't let us touch it again.

We led her to the corrals and put her in the chute. Echo, who normally is very quiet, whinnied for his new best friend to come back.

Here is Dandylyons in the head gate waiting for Brad to come back from the house with the things he needed to treat her.

She's not at all stressed out in the head gate. It's a handy device for preg checking, giving shots etc. We flushed the abscess out with antiseptic and then Brad gave her some antibiotic injections. We had to put a rope around her nose and pulled her head over to expose the area under her head that needed to be treated. Soon as she was fixed up we led her back to Echo who was so glad to see her.

Wildairo had a nice visit with her. Wildairo has been in the doghouse. He is very bad tempered...he's always been that way. He was bossing the cows about and one of them, Stella Longhorns, got her leg trapped in some rocks. She twisted her leg and couldn't put much weight on it for some weeks. She recovered and is now back with the herd. Wildairo is still in the doghouse.

Last month we got our first real snow. Here's Teddy running out in it for the first time.

Every morning she goes with William to feeds the cows and horses. Here they are playing in the snow.

The snow didn't last long. I took these pictures Monday morning when we took all three dogs to check the creek.

There's a fair bit of water in it but we have seen a great deal more this time of year. I was concerned Bobby would go out into the deeper part. She can't swim and I didn't fancy going in to save her.

Blondie was wearing what William calls her war reporters flak jacket.

There are too many weeds and grasses to see the road along the levy now. We used to let the cows graze along here but I don't think it's legal any more to let them graze in and around the creek. We'll have to look into it to see what the law is.