Good Morning, Tillie!

Remember last winter when I showed you how the horses' pasture is right under our kitchen window? This morning Tillie was standing right under the window and looked up at me when I spoke to her. She looks so goofy from this angle!

Leaving

Unfortunately, it's time to head back to school...but I wanted you to have one last look at the gardens. See that lilac leaning over the path on the left? The perfume was enough to take your breath away. In a very good way! I could have stayed there and smelled that bush all day long.

Cupola

Overlooking it all, from atop the beautiful old barn...

Another peony...

Very different than the one in my mother's garden, but just as beautiful...

Iris

Taste

Taste is important in the garden as well. And, not just for veggies. The discerning gardener knows that some flowers can be yummy too. I couldn't believe it when my 'peanut butter & jelly sandwiches only' son stepped right up and volunteered to eat a violet! He was so brave!! (Now Dad wants to sign him up for Survivor!) I wasn't terribly surprised when he told me that it didn't taste good, but at least he tried it...

Sight

This boy wanted to see the flowers up close! Reminds me of this photo...

Smell

Of course, flowers are well known for their wonderful perfumes! We just had to stop and smell them all!!

Touch

When you're in the garden, you can use all of your senses...here you can see a girl touching a rhododendron and learning that the leaves are actually furry!

Welcome to McLaughlin Gardens

This week I chaperoned during a field trip with the 2nd & 3rd grade classes . Over the next few days I'll show you some of the things that we saw!

A plea from Inky...

Now that I'm working full-time, our family is experiencing a time shortage. Particularly when it comes to our hobbies and many pets. Dad thought the answer was to perhaps find new homes for some of the critters. The boys and I worked together and figured out a better solution for Inky Mo, so Dad said that she could stay with us. Our youngest took this photo of Inky on a sign that he made...yes, Dad, this post is supposed to make you feel guilty. ;-) I thought it was very creative of our 8-year-old son. He did this all by himself!

Peony

Photographed in my mother's garden...

Look at what hatched!

Springtime is such an amazing time on the farm. We love to see all the babies. The geese are proving to be wonderful parents. They hatched out 8 goslings!

So sweet...

..and yet when he's not sleepy like this - what a little devil!! Our furniture will never be the same and he's pulled the curtains down a time or two. Rusty is a perfect example of a healthy, happy kitten - they play hard! And then crash, and sleep for hours....

The Old Man

I would like you to meet Patches, an Appaloosa gelding. At 27 years young, he is the oldest team penning horse in our club. In his younger days he was a champion showhorse. Regardless of what event he has competed in, he has earned many trophies and ribbons. He and his owner now spend their days teaching rookies how to team pen and they are getting a lot of new riders really excited about the sport. It is great to see such an old horse still going strong!!

Home Away From Home

I took over metal fence panels last week to make a semi-permanent stall for Kitch. He's happy because I connected them to the panels of a couple of my girlfriends', so he has other horses for company. That's Handy behind him, Opal diagonal to him, and Smoke beside him. My father made him that wonderful nameplate! Isn't it great? Although, I am concerned that people will start showing up with plates...

Who's next?

This cow is waiting patiently for the team to cut out the next cow to join him down at this end of the arena. The cowgirl on the left is riding into the herd after the correct cow, while the cowboys fan out the rest of the herd by walking their horses sideways across the arena. Once the majority of the cattle have been moved away, she will be able to safely (without any extra cows) cut out another #6 for them to pen, hopefully before they run out of time.

Here comes Charlotte!

We experienced some torrential rain storms during both days of the penning event this weekend. My husband was up in the judges' booth that overlooks the arena, when he saw Charlotte climbing the ramp. He snapped this quick photo, which I just LOVE! She is such a smart little doggie. She was headed for the shelter of the room behind the judges. She knew the rain was coming and if we humans weren't smart enough to take cover, well, she was. She headed for that room about 15 minutes before each storm hit us. It was amazing! When I posted this photo last year, I didn't know what kind of dog she was. I recently asked her 'mother' and found out that she is a Lancashire Heeler. Actually a cast-off, because her ears don't stand up straight. She's just about the best dog I've ever met, whether or not she meets the breed standard!

There goes his hat!

CMTPA held its first team penning/ranch sorting event of the season this weekend. What a great time! I got some awesome pictures, which was exciting. Kitch & I competed and came in 3rd in the Novice Penning class. As I was sorting through all the photos, I was trying to pick the best for the blog. I came to this one, and while it's not the best, it made me laugh, so I decided to use it. I hope it makes you chuckle this Monday morning too....

Red-Spotted Newt (Eft Stage)

Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) This amphibian is greenish yellow in its larval stage. It has two grayish lines, located just off center on either side of the back. The lines run the length of the body. At hatching, the larva has gills and just a hint of forelegs. Two to three months into the larval stage, the forelegs and hindlegs have been developed, the gills are lost and the skin becomes granular and textured to the touch. At this point, metamorphosis takes place. The land-dwelling red eft stage is entered and the body becomes a brilliant red to orange-red. A row of black-bordered, round red spots appears on either side of the back; the belly is yellow during this sub-adult stage.

At the end of the eft stage and within a week of entering the water to live out its life as an adult, the skin becomes smooth, and the tail fin develops, becoming compressed vertically to look rudderlike. Its color now is drab-olive to yellowish brown or dark brown. The belly remains yellow and is sprinkled with many small black spots. A row of red spots, bordered with black, also covers the newt’s back on each side. In neither the eft nor newt stages are the costal grooves distinguishable.

Curiosity did what?

Rusty was trying to catch that bright light that kept flashing at him. He just couldn't figure out what it was. It was too funny!

Nature Girl

This driver could be me - I'm happiest outdoors. Anyone else read Carl Hiaasen's book by this name? He is always so entertaining!!

Squirrel Huntin'

That squirrel was teasing Aly...

...she didn't have a chance and he knew it!

It doesn't look like my sleeping bag is getting the airing out that I had intended when I left it draped over the deck railing. And to add insult to injury, look at the seeds the squirrel dropped onto it!

Boys will be boys...

Our youngest was bored the other day...so, he dug a hole!
If only he would apply as much enthusiasm to his chores...

Horse Lover

I wish this was my license plate! I do have this bumper sticker though. Double G Ranch is my very favorite tack shop - they have everything you could ever want for your horses! I just wish that they weren't located 2 hours from here...

Rodeo Ma

My husband took this license plate for me, after hearing about my wild ride on Sunday. (He was home with the boys.) I took Kitch to our team penning club's first practice and he was sure feeling his oats! He was soooo excited to be chasing cows again, that when I asked him to back off, he took off bucking down the arena!! Now, mind you, this is Kitch and everything Kitch does, he does BIG!! I guess it was quite the show - I could hear everyone yelling at me to hang on - I finally got his head pulled into my knee, spun him around and sent him back into the herd after the next cow. He didn't fuss again after that. I was really glad that I had decided to wear my helmet and really, really glad that I didn't fall off!!!!

Fixin' It

What a cute car! That color is so bright and cheerful!!

Is there anything cuter...

...than a sleeping puppy?

Bald Eagle

I found some more photos that I took during the Maine Sportsman's Show that I wanted to share with you...This is a 4 year-old bald eagle that lives at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine. When he was a chick, he and his sibling fell from their nest during a thunderstorm. His sibling died, but this eagle was rescued and was able to recover despite a broken wing. He'll never be able to survive in the wild, so will spend the rest of his days at the park.

Superman

This guys thinks quite highly of himself...