Absolutely nothing to do with horses.

Beside being a farmer, Brad has a business where he designs and makes processing equipment for the bio-fuel industry. Last week his lastest project was completed and shipped. Our youngest son William was one of the workers on the project that was built on our farm.

Here is Brad and William all smiley and happy working on the project. William is wearing a cap that goes on under a welding helmet and a welders jacket.


Here's the almost finished project. William is on the top.


The small crane couldn't lift it so they had to get a great big one from Moses Lake to do the job.


The two parts are standing side by side but were put one on top of the other at the refinery that they were built for.


Brad was kind of sad to see it go, but saw it successfully set up in another part of the country.

Echo is a sweetheart.

The mustang boys were hanging out in the warm September sun looking all fat and shiny. I had to take a picture before they get their winter coats.


It's hard to get a good picture because of this....


Notice his lips are puckered.


Because he likes to give and get kisses.


And next week we'll be discussing nose reattachment surgery.

Blondie holds court and I entertain.

At the edge of my garden is the much neglected rose garden. Most times I'm out there some cattle show up to watch me.


They seem to be fascinated with little Blondie.


She sits and listens to their complaints and the latest gossip.


I draw a bit of a crowd when I go for a swim as well. I bought this little pool to help me recover from ankle replacement and it's in its third year of service. I fill it up so the water comes up to my chest and it is a real nice cheap and easy to set up pool.


That's my long time friend, Dandylyons standing in the shade of Foxsun's apple tree.


The other day I had all the calves lined up watching me swim, so I put on one hell of a show.

Echo's excellent adventure.

One moonlit night I slid the lead rope down to Echo's withers and he didn't mind, so I jiggled it. And just like that, Echo decided the rope was okay.

Leading up to that night I'd been spraying him with mosquito repellent and it suddenly occurred to him that after he's been sprayed the bugs stop biting and so it must be a good thing after all. He even lets me spray his undercarriage with no one holding his head. AND (now I'm really bragging) he stands still, in the 'eyes front' position, again with no one holding his head and lets Brad give him his shots!

Here he is in the 'eyes front' position while I fix a pretend saddle on his back.


Here I am getting the girth good and tight.


On Sunday evening I took him into the big pasture for the first time.


I was worried about him walking too fast for me and maybe clipping my bionic ankle. He was a real gentleman though.


He kept putting his mouth on me and I think it may have been for reassurance. I looked at his face and his eyes were as big as saucers and you could see all the white.

I did all the leading but here I gave the lead to Brad and William so I could take a picture.


We had an apple picnic by the big pile of dead cottonwoods. Echo was biting and sniffing the trees that have been rubbed smooth by cattle and horses.


He was really good but very alert. He eye balled the big boulders but didn't spook from them. I sat on the really big rocks to show them I was boss....that impressed Echo.

This evening I took him out again. I opened the big Powder River gate while I held him and he was so good about it. I really think he wanted to go walkies again. Brad and Will saw us and came along. They were walking and talking ahead of us and I was talking to Echo. It seems they don't have the big rocks all over Beatty's Bute like we do but the sage brush is the same. We went further this time and he stuck to me like glue. I went to push my hat up and he jumped back only to realize he was at the end of the rope and quickly got close again.

One the way back he started to get high headed and telling me danger was behind and to the left. He wanted to bolt but had no intention of leaving the safety of me. (I told him that I can fight off bears and lions). To make matters worse Wildairo was doing these loud explosive snorts over in the corrals. Well it turns out there were a couple of people on bikes riding on the county road that goes through our place. He couldn't see them but could hear their voices far off in the still evening air. I have seen Wildairo get frightened and bolt for home when he hears distant human voices. Must be a mustang thing.

Echo's troubles.

Last night I was out in my jim-jams and slippers giving Wildairo an apple and I heard a commotion coming from Echo's area of the darkness. I noticed his hay half eaten and spotted him with my little light kicking his belly like crazy and swishing his tail. I almost passed out with fright for these are signs of colic.

Then he took off and continued to canter around the big corral, down the ally and around the other corral. He was in a frenzy and I was worried he'd run into me in the dark and dust when I went after him. When I caught up with him it was obvious what was happening. I heard a loud buzzing as the swarm of mosquitoes buzzed around my head. Poor lad was being sucked dry by the little bastards. I went home to get my fly spray and asked Brad to spot for me because Echo was in a right tizzy. Brad felt really bad for him as well. We sprayed him down and he seemed very grateful. He wanted me to itch his belly really bad and pushed his bug bitten body into my hand. Funny how they didn't want to eat Wildairo. They had a bit of a nibble on me and now I really itch.

Here's Echo today, asleep with his bottom lip hanging down....notice the wild fire behind him.

Hey Echo, look behind you!

He's having a thinkie thought about this.

He got a little scratch on his nose the other day. Brad found the electric tape down and spread across the big corral. Also the gate near the building was open. Brad thinks Echo got caught in the tape raced off across the coral and hit the gate. The gate was open but Echo has a policy of not going through gates and every now and again it pays off. He also got a little scrape on his neck and below his knee. All on his right side so he must have hit the gate sideways. Poor little fellow has had a run of bad luck lately with bugs and stuff. Here's his poor little leg.

The boys are doing a pretty good job of trimming their hooves themselves. As much as I hate our rocky pastures and corrals, like Echo's gate deal, every now and again it pays off! Wildairo needs to pay better attention to his left front. Notice how much sturdier Wildairo's legs are.

Wildairo is standing on a little rock. That's why his right foot looks odd.

I haven't been doing anything with the horses except feeding them apples and giving them kisses. I have been trying to manage my pain which has hit an all time high. I've even fell over a few times. It's odd but I just trip and don't even try to catch my balance any more for some reason. The falling bit is fun till I hit the ground. I fell onto the hot drive way when it was 95 degrees and I sizzled like bacon in the frying pan. I had to roll onto the lawn because my knees are so inflamed I couldn't right myself on the cement. I had a laugh about it was just glad no one was around to see me! As I lay there I remembered how we used to laugh at those "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up' commercials. So I said it to myself and that made me chuckle more.