Weekend Coffee Share ~ Trail Rides And Horsey Fun!

On November 6, 2022 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share13 Comments

*My beautiful roses are blooming, thanks to the recent rain we had a week ago!*

Welcome to my weekend coffee share, can I get you a nice hot cup of coffee or tea? I also have other beverages if you prefer. I am enjoying the cooler weather as it has really cooled down and feeling like winter here even though its late fall. This weekend the time changes for us so we get an extra hour falling back and now my son and family in Arizona will be an hour ahead of us since they do not observe the time change. I am hoping one day they stop switching back and forth from daylight saving time, that would be wonderful! I can tell you that my animals do not know about these changing hours so my kitties woke me up at 6:15am to be fed breakfast. They think it’s 7:15am, haha…. It will take a few weeks to slowly feed them a little later each morning. We are not early risers especially since I work swing shift hours (2pm – 10:30pm) Monday thru Friday.

I had time this weekend to share with you all things horses. I have been getting a lot of trail rides in on my girl Miss Chloe. She is doing great! I am so grateful her leg is all healed up and she is best going out for a walking trail ride. We walk around the block and have lots of different routes to take as there are lots of blocks in the neighborhood. I will hook up with some friends at the stables for some rides too. I think it’s about half the time I am riding out alone, with the other half I have a friend along.

I am so happy Miss Chloe is confident out alone with me as I am not at that point in Murphy’s training to be out alone with him. He is 4 this year and I would like him to be older before I attempt any alone trail rides. Murphy and I ride in the arena as there is a lot to learn in there with him. I am gaining a wonderful connection with Murphy on the ground when we work together and when I am riding him. He is such a sweetheart!

Can I get you a refill? I am so happy about the weather. It’s been a bit chilly at night but the days have been so wonderful and perfect for riding. It is not too hot, and the horses are all really happy with our weather. Speaking of weather, we are to get a lot of rain the next three days. It’s to start tomorrow or maybe a little tonight although as I type there isn’t a cloud in the sky! I’m sure it will move in and I hope it’s only two days of rain instead of three. Just because my ponies live outside and I buy the shavings that bed their stall. I will buy some by Wednesday after I see how wet they get. Thankfully we get a lot of sunshine so we should dry out within a few days and be back to riding again. Here are a few more photos from today. 😀

*A friend took this photo of us on the trail!*

*Murphy is so shiny I had to take this photo. He has a beautiful winter coat!*

I am so enjoying sharing my horses with you today. Murphy got a little cut on his front left leg and it is so superficial that I am surprised that his leg has swelled from it so I am thinking there might have been a very small puncture wound. I decided to wrap his leg which should support the leg and hopefully it will reduce the swelling. He does not limp, so thankful for that but am hoping it heals up fast and without a vet visit. I am taking it easy with him to make sure it is completely healed before putting him back to work. I would rather be on the safe side and we are facing this rain storm so I will just make sure he leaves the leg wrap alone and will check the swelling every day. I am not too worried about it, horses just get nicks and cuts pretty easily and this really shouldn’t be a big problem and will watch things closely.

I hope you all are having a good weekend. Can you believe we are in November now? Before you know it, it will be Thanksgiving here in the states. Christmas is not that far away now! I am thankful for so many things and I enjoyed sharing my horsey weekend with you all. Thank you Natalie for hosting the weekend coffee share!

*Murphy has my heart as well! Love Him!*

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Happy Horse Loving, Trail Riding Cowgirl,

~Diana ❤

Why do we blog? Updates And Horses!

On September 17, 2022 By DianaIn blogging, Living life43 Comments

*A Magnolia bloom I came across on a trail ride on my sweet horse Miss Chloe!*

Why do we blog? I am asking myself because I have lost my blogging mojo. Yep, it’s lost and I keep searching and am having a lot of trouble finding it lately. Do you know where it could be? I have lots of theories, maybe if I break it down and share some of my theories I may just find my mojo again. I will start with a few sad events that I take in stride and don’t dwell on sad things, but maybe the deep roots of a few of them have affected my thought process and given me pause. Yes, one of the things that has really affected my thinking is a lifelong friend who hurt my feelings badly last year (and in turn I hurt her feelings too, which makes me sad) and it doesn’t matter how and why, and we’ve made up and we are on good footing again, but it made me wonder what it is that caused the issues that brought us to this place where we didn’t understand each other.

Hmm, was it me? we will never know and this is a good horse friend who I rode with every day. I’m so happy we are all good and we don’t board at the same stables anymore, but am happy we are still best of friends. ❤ However, this has caused me much reflection and in this reflection has caused me to wonder what am I doing and how can I be authentic and fun, and happy to share all the things that enrich my life. Why do we blog? for me to share.

*Murphy is doing great and he makes me smile each and every day!*

Life is full of challenges, good and bad. Lots of things are challenging right? Friendships, loved ones can be confusing as I have had my fair share of misunderstandings with my family too. Life decisions can be challenging, as I have shared that I wanted to move to Arizona which did not pan out and I am actually thankful we did not move there. Owning animals can be challenging, I lost a horse last year which was really sad, and I feel enriched and thankful that my sweet Murphy is now in my life along with my other horse Miss Chloe. They both help keep me centered and truly are my therapy. Why do I blog? Definitely for Therapy.

*My sweet girl Miss Chloe! We’ve been together 16 years now and I love her so much!*

As I share my thoughts today I am thinking about how I started my blogging journey which was to improve my writing skills. I always wanted to write and I have journaled (a lot) and thought wouldn’t it be great to write a novel. Wait, novel writing? That’s hard work, and I am no english major so there is that as well. I find the freeform writing here is my cup of tea. I don’t need to remember grammar stuff, and if I make a run on sentence who cares? RIGHT? Haha, at least all those who follow and read my posts are all very kind and I so appreciate my audience, more than you all realize.

Part of my missing mojo also revolves around this wonderful blogging community because I am also finding it difficult keeping up reading all the wonderful blog posts out there and then I feel guilty I am not reading them all and commenting. It is a growing emotion for me, feeling guilty because I am not there responding. My mojo is wrapped up in this predicament. Why do we blog? To strengthen our writing skills.

*Murphy looking handsome even with a little sand on his cute nose!*

I know, I know, just do what you can. I tell myself that everyone has a life and we all are busy (some probably more busy than others) and that no one is counting or looking to see who reads what or who comments when…. And then I see all these blog posts and think I need to catch up! It can be stifling. Shake it off Diana. Your mojo is here somewhere, and I think I just need to write. There is one last thing in my head that I think grabbed my mojo and I was so worried this would happen, and then it did.

I joined a Facebook group which is something I have paid for, a small price each month as it is a private group that is specifically for a horsey podcast I listen to almost every day. I didn’t want to join this podcast auditors group because I was worried that it would be exactly what I thought it would be and that is a time eater. Yep, I find myself spending lots of my spare time reading all the posts in this horsey podcast private group! I know myself too well, and I joined because I really wanted to adopt my thoroughbred Murphy and the trainer who helped me adopt him is on the podcast. (By paying I am supporting this wonderful podcast and it is worth the $3 a month to me.) It’s all coming full circle. As my time has been eaten away by my FB readings, I have dropped a lot of my blog posts readings on WP. Criminey!! I feel like I am at a point where I need to make a choice. OR I need to figure out some moderation. Why do I blog? For friends and family!

My lazy handsome thoroughbred this last week, Murphy! ❤

Why do we blog? The posts we all write and share have meaning to all of us that I could not even come close to describing. We all have a need to be here and I honor each and every one of you as I truly believe my life has been enriched by all that I have met through your posts. My updates that I mention in my title is really just updates on where my head is at, at this time in my life. I need to free myself from guilt, and free myself from any passed transgressions with friends and family and I think my mojo will return. My life and horse stories is important to me and I have shared so much of my life here that I don’t want to throw in the towel. I don’t think I need to start over either, but I do feel like I need to find a new way forward that feels fresh and forward thinking. Looking to the future and appreciating the past. I hope you’ll enjoy my shares. Mojo, where are you? I know you are there somewhere!

*Love this photo a friend took, Murphy is so tall!*

I updated my blog site with this photo that was taken by a friend this last July. It’s nice to update things every once in awhile. It’s a start to finding my mojo, I feel like its right at my fingertips now. Thank you for your support and for reading and following my blog. ❤ I blog for me and for you, Why do you blog?

Searching Lovingly,

~Diana ❤

July 23rd, Thankful For The Summer Breeze!

On July 23, 2022 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share33 Comments

*My summer rose bloom! It smells heavenly too!*

Welcome to my weekend coffee or tea share where I enjoy sharing what’s been happening here in Southern Cali where I live. It is definitely summer time here as the heat is on and we are hoping for a break but there isn’t one coming any time soon. I am thankful for the summer breeze! It almost always shows up every afternoon and it feels so good and helps you cool off. I had to look it up as I was pretty sure there was a song about the “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts and it’s a nice relaxing song to listen to on these summer days, I do date myself!

As I share a tall glass of ice tea with you (I have lemonade and we can make it an Arnold Palmer if you’d like!) I decided I would share my cross stitch I have been working on the last month or so, I am nearing completion and this is my winter scene. This is the last one I needed to complete for my 4 seasons pattern that I started many years ago and am determined to finish. (I’ll share the photo of the other seasons here too.) I am planning on making my first quilt with these cross stitches as the star or center pieces of the quilt which will be the size of a wall hanging or small throw blanket. If I run into trouble I’ll have to have my sister’s help me as they are the expert quilt makers in the family!

I have a confession and that is this coffee share I started late last weekend and never finished it so I thought I would just add to it and finish and post it this weekend. I took the above cross stitch photo on July 2nd and I have done a lot more since then so here is a current photo of it today. I am working on the bottom portion as you can see the cart the horse is pulling, a sideways tree and some snow texture stitching. 😀

Some of the funny colored shapes will eventually be people and things really become defined when I am done with the stitching and then I will outline everything and that will make everything pop and look completed. It is so fun working on these projects! I know it is another way that I can relax and create and keep my brain thinking as I count away. I am hoping this and other things I do in my life will help keep me healthy. What do you do for fun or for relaxation? I know many enjoy their gardens, and they are a wonderful source of healthy cardio work and relaxation too! And others enjoy being outside exercising. Here are the other seasons. (Click on photos for full view).

I am motivated to finish my winter themed cross stitch because I was gifted this last Christmas some really cool cross stitch pattern books I had on my wish list. I will be diving into these new patterns when I finish here and I won’t start working on the quilt until I feel inspired or motivated to sew. Maybe I will dive into it sooner, I just take things one day at a time and see how I feel when starting new projects. I know my “in the house” projects I call them are not cardio, but it’s important to have the relaxation to help lower blood pressure when relaxing. I get all my cardio from the stables and I like to call the barn my outside gym! I love my segue as I want to share my horses this weekend. My last share about the barn was how busy I have been and thankfully it has calmed down now and I am not having to take care of so many horses!

I am having so much fun with Murphy! Him and I are really bonding and he is always excited to see me which to me indicates he enjoys our time together. He is vocal about this nickering as I arrive! 😀 Today I started some liberty training with him which basically means working in the arena with him lose and following my lead as I ask him to work with me free or at liberty. I also have thought long and hard about his training and I decided to introduce R+ training which is Positive reinforcement (+R) is a form of learning that occurs when a desired behavior is rewarded. It’s based on the idea that reinforced or rewarded behavior will be repeated out of want for a reward. I have found that Murphy would rather not do much of anything and although his defiance is not bad (he does not bite, rear, kick or do anything nasty) on the contrary he is very sweet but can be a bit stubborn. He is also very food driven! I have already started to introduce treats in a meaningful way and he has not started biting and/or is not aggressive at all. He has remained very respectful and sweet which is perfect for this kind of training! I’m very excited!!

He loves to splash and play in the water bucket and every time I see him and want to video he stops and comes to visit me instead. I LOVE you Murphy, but I just want to get some water fun action!

You can see how wet he got and all the water he splashed all around the bucket as he practically emptied half of hit splashing away! Haha, he’s so funny and has so much fun in this summer heat! With horses when you are with them whether it is every day (yep, I go every single day to see them and usually work with them) or every other day or once a week you are always learning and working together as a team. You should be growing your bond with them and mine grows each day. I have this wonderful bond with my other horse Chloe. Her and I are a team that just gets stronger every day. The trust the two of us have in each other is hard to describe. It would be like the trust you have with your best favorite dog or cat, it’s strong and we enjoy each others company. I am so grateful and thankful Murphy and I are bonding like Chloe but as I learn and grow reading/attending/watching other trainers I am growing and am doing more with him than I did when Chloe was his age. IT’S SO MUCH FUN!

*I am enjoying riding him and working with him in Western Dressage!*

I have a video I made all by myself by propping up my camera but since I don’t have a Pivo I ride out of frame a lot and so I decided not to share here. I will ask someone to video one of my rides soon. It is fun to see his progress. He is learning so much, a little each ride. I don’t ride him every day as he is young and growing and I don’t want to bore him to death. PLUS as I have recently shared I can be busy and so I usually ride one horse one day and then the next I ride the other. This is working out great! Happy horses means a happy Mom. Now that I want to incorporate R+ training, it is all started and performed while I am on the ground, we call this ground work with horses. So on the days I do not ride Murphy we will be working on things together which will be stimulating for him and I. Anyways, I enjoy learning new things as well and there is plenty of YouTube videos out there to visit for ideas. Can I get you a refill? I know I can ramble on and on sometimes! Haha!

*He almost always rolls after a rinse or bath in his dry shavings! You can see them all over his back!*

*This was from a few weeks ago! All that I am sharing is from this month of July!*

I am so thankful we have a huge pepper tree that has grown so tall now that it provides a lot of morning shade where we tack up our horses. This is why this photo is in the shade. I like it’s soft tones and you can see part of the tree in the upper right corner. Near noon the shade is almost gone except for closest to the tree. As July seems to be flying by we are getting closer to my granddaughter’s birthday August 3rd. She will be turning 7 years old this year and I can’t believe it! I am so excited to be heading to Arizona to help her and family celebrate my sweet girls birthday. YAY! This time I will be flying there!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I thank you kindly for visiting with me today. I am always grateful for all the support I get from fellow friends, family and the blogging community. I enjoy sharing when I can and so I will get this wrapped up and get back to stitching. I am getting super close to completing my project. I’ll have to pass the ice tea and say how is your (week) or weekend going?

Loving Our Summer Breeze Cowgirl,

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; 4th of July Weekend!

On July 3, 2022 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share22 Comments

*My pretty honeysuckle blooms which are so tiny but so fragrant!*

Welcome to my coffee share, can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? I am having a nice cup of joe with my favorite creamer, sweet Italian cream. I can’t believe it is July! Where did June go? it just zipped on by seemingly so fast. I had a busy month last month and I am hoping to slow down a little and enjoy this month. For those of us here in the states, this weekend is July 4th weekend ~ Happy 4th of July! ❤ I am so thankful for the long weekend and an extra day off this next week. We always barbeque which millions of American’s do, and since it is summer here it’s always a great way to celebrate!

Did I mention already how busy I have been? Ah, yes, I think I bring it up all the time. I am not sure how I fit in all that I do and my life just seems to get busier. My “busier” has been at the barn where I board my two horses. It seems that when there is other boarders that need help with their horses, my name comes up. I am honored and deeply grateful that so many trust me to take care of their horses, but it is getting to the point where I am getting super busy with many to care for especially this month. (I will say that it is difficult for me to say No! Haha, so I do this to myself to a certain degree!) I have 6 horses for the first week of July (2 of them are my own) and after next week that care will go down to 5 horses. I can thankfully take turns getting them out and exercised which means I do not have to handle all of them all on the same day. It will put a kink into my riding on some days, I may be getting less sleep so I can get up earlier to fit in all that I want to do each day. We will see how this goes. 😀

*Miss Chloe after a nice ride this weekend!*

Since I am on the subject of horses I thought I would share some photos. I have been able to ride a lot out on the trails with Chloe. I am riding my other horse Murphy but mostly in the arena as I want him to learn in there more basic riding commands so we are safe together. I am hoping to get him out on the trails some this summer. I want to partner up with a friend as it can be scary on the trails for a young horse in our town all by himself. He is very brave and the trail riding I have done this past year with him was always with other horses. I knew he needed more arena training but wanted to see what kind of “brain” he had which just means that the trails I have ridden him on were short, not far from home and he had a good “brain” and was very sensible and kind.

Now that Murphy has turned 4 years old I am upping the demands slowly and asking him to do things that will make our partnership together more cohesive and safe. He should know how to walk, trot and canter when I cue him to do this and just as important to “whoa” or stop when I ask. His whoa he is getting better at especially at the walk and trot but he still needs work at the canter. I am in no rush and have done more with him at the walk and trot, so that is why he is getting that down better. I wish I had more time to spend riding him and hence why I am a tiny bit frustrated with my time at the barn. Part of the issue is a friend fell off this last Friday. She owns 2 horses and has asked me to care for them as she recovers from the fall. She broke 2 ribs and hurt her back and so how can I say no? She doesn’t know another lady is going out of town for one week so I have already said yes to her for her horse. And I have another that I care for 2 days a week, the lady has paid me through to August for that horse care. It’s all good, it just is what it is at this time!

*Hi Murphy, we will do some fun riding this week I promise!*

He is such a handsome guy! He is so laid back, so calm and pleasing. I think he gets a little bored. Since my other horse Chloe is 18yrs old, I can just hop on and head out on the trail. My shortest trail ride is about 25 minutes, so it’s a total of almost an hour from getting her out and tacked up, out on trail and then I need to clean her up (which may be hosing her off if it’s hot) and get her put away. I then do Murphy. Or I do Murphy first and spend about an hour and a half with him and then I ride or turn out Chloe. I then have to fit in another turn out with some care to other horses that others have paid me for. My riding time gets cut into if say I eat breakfast out with hubby one or two mornings each week. Haha, I guess I have a full-time job and now a part-time job. My family can’t understand why I am at the barn every single day. (They kind of understand my obsession, but they have asked me why do I go every day?) Seriously, I NEVER miss a day unless I am out of town!! I am seriously that horse CRAZY! 😀 😀 😀

*Seriously though, how can you not love her sweet face and I want to give them the best care!*

*Heading down the trails on my sweet girl! The best exercise for her and joyful for me!*

As I am writing this I am realizing my horsey obsession has turned into a somewhat part-time job especially since I concede and help so many others. I am realizing I need to take back some control since it is eating into my horse riding time and if I am feeling frustrated because of this then it takes the fun out of my time at the barn. Talk about a juggling act! Sheesh! I am not old enough to retire because if I could retire then I could have this part-time horse care job. Something I will look forward to when that year comes to fruition. I am the type of person that tends to put the needs of others before my own, hence why I haven’t learned to say no very often (if ever) so the learning goes….. I need to be stronger, and put my needs first but for now I will just be very busy! Do you over extend yourself? or do for others to the point where it takes time away from your needs? I am curious as I can’t be alone! 😀

I’ll end with this sweet kitty. This is Evie, my daughter’s cat and she is so incredibly friendly. You know how I am with my crazy selfie photos, she was so fun to be with when I was visiting with my daughter in June. I had so much fun at the horse clinic and spending time with my daughter. She invited some friends over when I was there and we had an indoor barbeque on Sunday after I was done with the clinic. We had so much fun breaking bread and playing a card game. I have so enjoyed having coffee (or tea) with you this weekend and for filling you in on my busy schedule! Haha, it’s been crazy days and will stay that way for awhile!

Thank you Natalie for hosting the #weekendcoffeeshare and if you would like to visit and read other shares you can click here! I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

Super Busy Crazy Horsey obsessed Gal,

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; May 1st Birthday Fun!

On May 1, 2022 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share24 Comments

*Thank you Natalie for hosting the Weekend Coffee Share!*

Welcome, can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? I think a nice big glass of ice tea is in order as it is the afternoon here as I get to this special day written out and shared. Today is my sweet horses birthday and although it is not a particularly special year, it is his first birthday with me. I adopted Murphy from a Thoroughbred horse rescue who takes in Off The Track Thoroughbreds and finds them a new career. Murphy’s Jockey Club name is Midnight Murphy, I had to call him Murphy as the name fits so well. He came from Oklahoma from Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation and he arrived last year on May 22, 2021. I can’t believe it has been a year in a few weeks that he arrived. Today I celebrated his birthday by making a few video’s of my weekend and I bought him a few horsey made treats to spoil him. Haha, he was probably wondering why he got an easy free fun weekend and extra carrots, apples and these yummy sweet treats! We are just crazy horse people!!

I do not know Chloe’s birthday as she is not a registered breed. She was from a rescue though so I know the year she was born. She turns 18 years old this year and I shared with her the treats I brought to Murphy and I bought enough treats so I could share with other horse owners (and their horses) at the barn. I am so proud of Murphy as he is a fine looking 4 year old thoroughbred. 😀

I hung a Happy Birthday on his stall. I will share a video I made of him eating a few treats. Yummy, he kept looking for more. I do not normally hand feed him and will put all carrots and treats in his bucket, but today is a special day and he will be fine if I go back to putting the treats in his bucket. Feeding treats by hand can encourage them to possibly nip your fingers. I do feed Chloe by hand and she is gentle and has never bitten me or gotten aggressive in any way. Murphy is so young, he already tries to put the lead rope in his mouth, he is like a toddler wanting to put everything near him in his mouth. I have had to pull my sweatshirt out of his mouth and sometimes my shirt. He is getting better as this year has passed, keeping the treats out of my hand has been extremely helpful in him learning to let things go and it doesn’t belong in the mouth! Haha, he’s such a baby but this year has grown tons in respect and in size!

Murphy enjoying his birthday treats! He is so very sweet and looks forward to our time together each day!

*On the left are donut hole horse treats with sweet toppings! and the squeezy buns I shared with the barn!*

At our local feed store I heard they make horsey birthday cakes and when I got there they had packaged up horse donuts and donut holes (made with grains and horse food with sprinkle icing. They can eat sugar, think sugar cubes and peppermints. Murphy does not like peppermints yet, Chloe loves them!) The icing we were curious and tasted and it is just sweet icing like on cookies. The horses loved these treats. I asked about a horse cake and they said the lady that makes them will be in on Tuesday. Oh shoot, I didn’t realize you had to place an order for a cake. So donut holes it is as to me they looked like small cupcakes. I decided for next year he will turn 5 and so I will plan and order a cake then. I continued shopping and found the Uncle Jimmy’s Squeezy Buns. I put one on top of the container so you can see they are all individually wrapped grain filled molasses scrumptious horse treats! YUMMY! I shared with others at the barn handing out the Squeezy Buns! Hahaha!! 😀

Murphy’s second time with the big ball. Wait for it, I did get a reaction from him! Silly boy!

I can’t believe how laid back this horse is to be honest with you. He really doesn’t want to exert a ton of energy. There are horses at our barn that run around and kick at this ball and there is one horse who will bend down with his knees and try and squeeze the ball between his front legs. He is very energetic and runs all around. Murphy? just meanders around, runs a little because it was coming after him there for a second. Haha, but he meandered back to it sniffing it. I just loved how he pushed it with his nose towards me, which makes me wonder did he want to play? Haha, horses do not think like people do but they are very smart. They can learn words and he responds to “Good boy” and he knows these words, “walk”, “trot” and “canter” and “whoa” for stop. Horses LOVE routine, because they know what to expect and they learn much easier if you keep their routine as close to the same as possible. It’s okay to deviate some days for enrichment and for learning new things, they learn that much faster when their routine and safety is A-Okay!

*He has been such a joy! So fun to watch him interact with this toy!*

As I enjoy Murphy I also enjoy my other horse Chloe and she is very spoiled and loved too. I take her out on the trails and I took a few photos with a girlfriend who joined us today. The Jacaranda trees are starting to bloom. We rode by one before I realized I should have taken a photo so in front of us was a baby tree and the tree behind it is a huge Jacaranda that is just beginning to bloom. I’ll share the photos and ask you do you need a refill? I think I will get one as I finish up this post.

*Chloe on the left and my girlfriend’s horse Fashion. Yes, a funny name for a horse but it fits her well!*

*Miss Chloe after my ride. They all enjoy the grass that grows on the property!*

I can’t believe it is May 1st! This day now has new meaning to me and my life since it is Murphy’s birthday. April was a great month and went by way too fast. My husbands birthday was April 13 and my daughter’s was April 14 and she was at training for work in Colorado and for my hubby that day was a Wednesday. I made the day as special as I could and I think I forgot to share in my last blog post. Forgive me family! Haha, if they ever read my blog. I do not think any of them do. I have a couple of sister’s that read my blog from time to time. As I share my all about horses blog, you can see I do sprinkle in the family happenings.

As I write this my son in Arizona has been applying for jobs outside the state. He has a job interview at the University of Maryland Teaching Hospital in Baltimore this coming Thursday. It would be better pay and advancement opportunities but oh my, it’s across the country. I am thankful I have a job that I can take many vacations so I can visit my only grandchildren if he should be offered and if he takes this new job. I am so excited for him but a bit sad they will be so far away. We will see what happens!

I’ll end with this selfie. I took several with Murphy and I like them all for different reasons but I will only share one, hard decide which one to choose! 😉 I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead and thank you so much for stopping by my coffee share and If you care to share, what’s been happening in your week?

Happy Horse Loving Grandma,

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; April 16, 2022

On April 16, 2022 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share41 Comments

I can’t believe it is the middle of April! The weeks just fly by so fast. Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? It has been a nice April so far with only one heat wave just over a week ago. It was almost 100 (38C) degrees here in Southern Calif for a few days. We get these mini heat waves before the summer comes and then it cools off again. I just looked up our climate here and it’s considered a Mediterranean climate. I really can never complain about the climate here which is so loveable and livable! Hence why there is too many people here. I can tell you that our freeways overflow with too many people with too much traffic, and the construction to widen and/or add lanes or toll lanes continues and never ends. But we all love living here, and those who don’t will move away. Haha, I read that more people are moving out of California in recent years then moving in which is totally okay with me! (I think the cause of this is affordability or cost of living is so high, so people are opting to move elsewhere. It is expensive but we own our house so it’s not too bad for us for now.) As I write this I am not sure if this is where we will retire and I am all for living near my grandchildren when I retire if that is possible someday. ❤

Okay, how did I get on that subject? I do write as my mind rambles and I definitely have a lot on my mind. I will say I am definitely missing my grandchildren especially since this is Easter weekend. Happy Easter to all of you who may be celebrating. With no little ones around we will just have an Easter dinner that I will make tomorrow. No Easter baskets or hiding eggs, no little ones around which I miss. I will see if I can video chat with the littles tomorrow! Now that’s a great idea! Now I am smiling. 😀

*My roses are blooming and this one is just about done! I just love roses smell!*

Such happy flowers! The beautiful Iris and the cactus blooms are just amazing, I just had to take a photo when I went to the feed store and saw their beauty. My very, very light pink rose bloom is almost done blooming but the smell is just divine. I always stop to smell the roses, one of my favorite smells! I just have to share the flowers as Spring brings in it’s gloriousness.

On to my horses. How can I not share any kind of post without sharing how my horses are doing. I see them every day and ride one or the other like I’ve mentioned before. This last week was a Vet appointment for Spring vaccines and the Vet checks them all out listening to their heart and lungs and checking their teeth. Horses need teeth care and because of the way their jaws are aligned and the way they chew when they grind down on the hay they can get sharp points along the sides of their molars. Horses teeth erupt all throughout their life and because they can get these sharp edges they need dental care called teeth floating. The Vet or Equine Dentist will take a tool to grind down the sharp edges on their teeth so they are nice and smooth. The sharp edges can in time cause tongue sores or cheek sores depending on if the points are on the inside or outside of their molars. They should be checked yearly.

I had Chloe’s teeth floated just over a year ago and so her teeth look good at this Vet visit. Murphy who will be turning 4 yrs old at end of this month has some sharp points but he also has 2 wolf teeth that are only on the upper jaw in front of the first molars on each side. Wolf teeth (which are very small) are usually removed because horses when ridden and a bit is in its mouth, the bit can hit or interfere with these teeth and can cause issues (pain) which no one ever wants. (About 70% of horses are born with wolf teeth that will erupt. I have had Chloe since she was 2 and she had no wolf teeth.) We want the bit to be in their mouth with no problems. For those non horse people, horses have a natural gap in their jaw where the front teeth are and the molars begin. This big gap is just gums and is where the bit sits in their mouth. It is amazing how we can ride and communicate with them and have the control we need to stay safe when mounted and riding. We communicate with the bit through the reins in our hands, and the horses learn so many really cool things. Think Olympics!

Murphy has only one erupted wolf tooth on one side and the other side it hasn’t erupted yet. The Vet wants to wait 6 more months to see if that other tooth will erupt so it can be pulled out. He will be sedated for this procedure and they will float his teeth at that time to smooth the sharp edges that have developed over time with his chewing. I use a French Link Snaffle bit which the Vet said is perfect for riding him and hangs in his mouth in a way that it should not be a problem for the 6 months I have to wait for the teeth pulling. I’m grateful I can continue riding him with this bit. He also lost a cap which is part of his teeth as they grow which I found just outside of his stall last month. Baby teeth! Haha! Here are some fun photos of my ponies! ❤

*Murphy out and about in the round pen. He is filling out and is still growing!*

*Hi Murphy, he has a huge head, but then he is huge!*

As my time with my horses has morphed a bit, mostly because I have such a young horse I have really enjoyed arena riding. My horse Chloe has a bad back leg which is an old injury and now arthritic so the best thing to do with her is walk. I can walk in the arena but it gets boring and since she is a seasoned trail horse, I can take her out by herself and I have shared many trails riding her. I now get the best of both worlds by riding and training Murphy in the arena because he is young and athletic and he can do all the arena exercises easily. It has been so much fun!

I have a super good friend, my best friend who I’ve been friends with since we were 10 years old. Gosh, we have known each other for 50+ years now. We were riding trails together for the last 10 years but she has needed to retire her mare Gracie from the trails due to age and health. She will be 30 yrs old April 25th!! She bought a younger horse Roscoe and after some trail riding she decided to devote her time to just arena riding and has moved him blocks away to another ranch. She now just rides at that ranch and I visit with her often. Recently, I helped her move Gracie to this ranch (she wanted to check it out first with Roscoe and make sure it was a good fit for her and her horses before she moved Gracie.) I helped her hand walk Gracie about a week ago and I took a couple of photos.

*Gracie is a little thoroughbred mare, she is beautiful!*

My girlfriend and I do not see each other near as often any more but that’s okay because we are in the same town when she comes and visits and takes care of her horses. We meet for lunches and I will continue to take time to make these visits happen. Paths change, and I am finding my horse riding goals are changing and morphing all the time. That’s A-okay and that is life, full of changes! ❤ ❤ ❤

I have taken up so much of you time but I know you can read this faster than I can type and put this all together. I was going to make it shorter but since I haven’t been sharing as often I will just make my blog posts a little longer, I didn’t think ya’ll will mind. 😀 I’ll end with this pretty photo of a happy horse eating his breakfast!

*This morning at the barn ~ Murphy is so handsome!*

Thank you for visiting and I want to thank Natalie for hosting and if you would like to read others coffee shares just click here! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!

Horsey and Flower Crazy Grandma,

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; March Is Here!

On March 6, 2022March 6, 2022 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share19 Comments

Welcome to my coffee share! Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? I also have apple juice or cranrasberry juice if you prefer. I have so much to share as its been a few weeks and so much is happening in our lives. We made it to Arizona last weekend for my grandson’s birthday and we celebrated and made it special for him. I am also thankful that my family wasn’t planning a very big party (so very thankful) because my grandson ended up with a fever on his birthday so we had to cancel the event. We were to drive to my daughter-in-laws aunt’s house about an hour away to celebrate. It turns out my little grandson had a mild case of hand, foot and mouth virus which we found out he was exposed this last week when he was brought back to day care. That was why he had a fever, and we made his birthday a fun day none the less and celebrated at his home. ❤

*We baked him a smash cake and the cupcakes with a Mickey Mouse Funhouse theme!*

*Me and my selfies that I so enjoy taking! He doesn’t know “smile” yet, and my granddaughter likes to make silly faces which makes me giggle! She has a beanie baby octopus in her hand!*

My hubby and I enjoyed visiting and we did not catch any sickness which I told my family I don’t care, I would have come anyways. Unfortunately, my son caught the hand, foot and mouth virus as he came down with a fever at the end of this last week and he has nasty rashes on his hands and feet! Hence the name, and he says these rashes burn and are very painful. I feel so badly for him as he is the only adult that caught it from my grandson. My granddaughter and my daughter-in-law are fine. I am praying for my son to recover quickly. He is out of time off at work, so he can be out sick but can’t get paid since this has been a rough couple of months for illness for my little family. They all had Covid at the beginning of January and it has been one virus after another the last 2 months. Please say a prayer or send good thoughts their way, they sure could use a break right about now. This is SO HARD being so far from them so that I could help. But it is what it is, and all I can do is be supportive from afar. I Love them so much!

Ugh, there are lots of sad things happening in the world today and everyone has their own set of problems and/or issues to deal with. I certainly do not want to add to any of that and as you know I am usually full of optimism and positivity, but I will say even I can struggle with that from time to time. I am thinking if I share what makes me smile and brings me to a special place where I can forget all the scary sad stuff then maybe if I share it will bring a smile and a bit of positivity your way as well. I decided that is one reason why I like to share here on this blog. I have been questioning why I blog lately, and so I am only blogging when I have a collection of fun and enjoyable shareable things that not only make me smile and feel good, I hope you can enjoy and smile too! It’s my contribution to keeping my mental health happy, and in turn I hope it can do that for someone else too! I don’t even know if I am making any sense, but these are my thoughts today. 😀

*These blooms in my garden sure make me smile! Spring is in the air!*

My Iris plants have multiplied since last year. They are in a container and I am thinking I should thin them out this year. I am not sure what to do with the extra plants? I guess I can start another container and have more Iris plants! Haha, I do much better growing flowering plants then vegetables. Since I am not sharing daily or weekly posts I have accumulated lots of pony photos and fun videos that I wanted to share. 😀 As you all know this is my happy place, the stables or barn where I board my horses and the horses are what fill my heart and help me with my mental health. They bring me so much joy, so let’s get started with what I have to share.

Miss Chloe with a big bouncy ball to play with only she isn’t very interested!

My girlfriend at the stables (we call each other pony sister’s) brought the bouncy ball and let us all take turns using it in the arena with our horses. It is fun for them to see something different, it helps desensitize them and get use to different objects. We have horses that love playing with the ball. It is very bouncy and soft. They can bite it and throw it around with their teeth. It is so fun to watch them play! Chloe just stares at it but didn’t move as it headed towards her and then walked away, haha, and she did go up to it and push it once but I didn’t make a video of that. She just isn’t interested in playing like the geldings, especially the younger horses!

Murphy with the bouncy ball. He licked it and tried to bite it and will need time to learn to play with it!

Murphy was really afraid of the ball at first. I carried it into the arena and walked up to him holding it and he stood still and I let him reach out to touch it with his nose. I will say that for Chloe I knew it was not her first time with the bouncy ball as I have had it in the arena with her and my other horse Zack some years ago before he passed away. So that is why I was not worried about her reaction when I kicked it towards her. I knew Murphy has never seen the ball, so I introduced it carefully. I decided to let him check it out by himself and left the arena at which time I could take the video above. 😀 I know he isn’t doing much with it but he is very brave and is a good boy!

*I had time this weekend to shorten their manes. It is good for them to learn to stand still as it takes a good half an hour or so to get this completed.*

As I am sharing my horsey photos I am realizing that this could be a very long post. I am thinking I will save some of them and write another post soon. Either a Smile post or horsey post of some sort. I’ve been wanting to shorten their manes. I like to keep them tidy and they were getting pretty long especially Murphy’s mane. He got tired of me messing with him and when he gets antsy he starts to paw at the ground. He does not really enjoy being pampered and groomed. Unfortunately for him, I’m the type of owner that loves to brush and groom them. I do not overdue it and ask for his patience kindly and I don’t groom him every day because when it’s his day off of riding he just gets turned out and then I put him back in his stall. I am being gentle with him and give him days off from grooming since he doesn’t enjoy it that much. I’m hoping when he gets older he will enjoy being groomed, hopefully. 😀

*Murphy is the second horse on the left. I just love this photo of the paddock row with the beautiful clouds!*

We have been getting some weather which is always something exciting for us here in sunny CA. I just love the clouds and we got a little bit of rain. It has been chilly and cold a few days this last week. The sun was out today and that’s when I trimmed up their manes. I also had a nice trail ride. Saturday was fun with the bouncy ball day and I am hoping to ride Murphy tomorrow. I usually take turns riding one horse one day ~ the other the next day. It works out good for all of us! I’m going to end with this pretty photo which was taken by my pony sister who brought the bouncy ball! Thank you Jane! ❤

Murphy standing tall near the back of arena! Such a pretty photo! I hope you all are doing good and thank you for visiting and having coffee with me this weekend. I am so happy I shared and I will try and write and share again soon. Have a wonderful week!

Loving Grandma, Loving Horses!

~Diana ❤

My Weekly Smile; Horsey Fun!

On February 1, 2022 By DianaIn Horse stories, weekly smile19 Comments

Welcome to my smile post as I am enjoying everything horses from this last weekend. It was a very cloudy day on Saturday, so gloomy that I actually did not feel like riding. I know a lot of people would love the cool weather but I woke up not feeling like doing much and so I went with my mood and didn’t ride. I took the opportunity to visit my horsey friend who I use to ride with and she has moved her new horse Roscoe to a new stables a few streets away but in the same town. I enjoyed my visit with her and was able to see Roscoe’s new stall and see him turned out in the arena.

As we head into Sunday I woke up to a beautiful day. The sun was bright and no clouds in sight which always makes me smile. I so enjoy sunny days and I was really motivated to do more today and ride my horses. I will tell you that I was a bit exhausted with all that I did on Sunday which is a good thing, right? I know I will sleep well. Here is all that I did as I took some photos of my day.

*Murphy is tied to a hitching post/rail. I have had him here before and he is learning to stand quietly.*

I usually use the cross-ties with Murphy which are ties that attach to each side of his head. This way he can’t move around as much with the sides of his head held straight. He can still turn his body but he also can’t try and bite me which I will say he doesn’t do any more. He use to try and bite me frequently because he is young and thinks it is a game to bite, like I am a herd mate which clearly I am not. He was really good tied to this rail except he was biting the lead rope and pulling on it and almost untied himself. I tied it so that it would not come off but in a safe manner (slip knot) if I needed to get it undone quickly. I’m so proud of him! ❤

*Here is Murphy in the cross-ties. I thought I would share so you can see the difference in the two places they need to learn to stand and be tied*.

There are horses that can’t stand tied in these cross-ties. We have some at our stables where if they are tied here they will freak out and pull back. Yes, they pull back all crazy and either snap the clips, fall down or break their halters trying to get free. It’s all a terrible mess and not safe for the horses and so those horse owners stay away from the cross-ties and never use them. It takes training and a sensible horse to learn to stand tied to any post including the first one I talked about. They can do the same thing at the straight bar hitching post and can freak out and pull back. Horses are flight animals so if they get spooked or feel trapped and feel like they need to bolt to get away, and boy they are so huge it is not fun when they get that scared. I’m very thankful that both my horses are very calm, sensible horses that do not get spooked easily and they both stand nicely tied to any cross-tie or hitching post/rail. 😀

If you are wondering what owners with horses that can’t be tied do? they teach them to ground tie, which means they teach them to stand in one place with the lead rope just hanging down to the ground. Some people just loop the rope loosely around the tie rail so they aren’t tied, but just sort of tethered loosely. Horses can feel the rope get taught, so they stand still in place. But if they get spooked and pull back the rope just slides around the rail and they are free. They don’t usually go far as they all like to stay near the herd which is all the other horses in their stalls nearby the tie area. Some people just brush and tack their horses in their stalls where there is no need to tie them to anything. These are some ways to get around complete restraint with sensitive horses that may not tie well.

*Murphy after my ride standing so very tall and being a good boy!*

After my ride I just had to take another photo. He can reach for the rope he is tied with and he just chews on it a little bit. (I would rather he chews the rope and not me! Haha!) He knows I need to brush him and pick out his hoofs. Then we walk to his stall so he can get his lunch. He loves food and looks forward to being done with all this nonsense of getting cleaned up! Haha, He would rather be dirty. It isn’t his favorite thing being brushed but he is getting much better and I can tell enjoys being out and hanging out with me each day. 😀 I find that routine is our best friend and he is very smart and I know that helps us bond!

*The weekend was fun with my stable friends!*

After taking care of Murphy and getting his lunch I got Miss Chloe out and got her ready for a trail ride with a couple of stable friends. We had a nice time and it was a gorgeous perfect day! Trail rides with friends are the best and make me smile! What makes you smile? 😀 I will end with a photo I took of Chloe and when I took the photo she was just about to sneeze! She is such a good girl, I have so many photos of her but not one where she is about to sneeze. Haha! Now I have this funny photo! Even though Saturday I didn’t feel like doing much, I ended up making up for that on Sunday where I almost did too much!

She’s just so cute and beautiful too! I hope you enjoyed my horsey post with some fun sort of educational things about how we handle the horses when needing to have them stand to be groomed and tacked up! I hope it isn’t too boring for both horse and non horsey folks. It’s so FUN to share!! I hope you all have a great week as we smile through to February!

Horse lover forever!

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; Nov. 20 ~Horsey Fun!

On November 20, 2021 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share37 Comments

Welcome, can I get you a cup of coffee? I also have tea or cranrasberry juice if you prefer. I am enjoying this weekend and the nice cool weather that November brings. We live near the Santa Ana River and in our town we can get socked in with fog. This last week we have been having foggy nights as we wake to very cool mornings as the fog slowly burns off for the day. It’s been really nice Fall weather and I am enjoying it immensely!

I have been keeping busy and we are getting ready for Thanksgiving. Can you believe it’s next week? I can’t believe this year is just flying by and as I prepare for next week, we will be decorating for Christmas most likely next weekend. Oh my goodness, then it will be figuring out Christmas presents. We usually pick names in our family which works good, and there is only the 2 grandkids and of course we all get them gifts without them being in the name drawing. I can’t believe how high prices have gotten this year, and it’s getting worse. I’ll just stop on this subject but am hoping inflation doesn’t get any worse! It’s just insane!

On to another topic. Hmm, I wonder what that could be? Haha, it’s horses of course. I have been wanting to share a video I made this last August of a trail ride on my horse Chloe. I was riding alone around the block on a beautiful summer day. I get a little bit tongue tied not remembering what the cross-walk button is called. Haha, I almost wasn’t going to share as it is a bit long (just over 2 minutes) but you can see a good bit of our town and the trails. I love chatting on my video’s so I hope it’s enjoyable. Miss Chloe is such a good girl!

I will say that Miss Chloe and I have really good rides most of the time. But she is a horse that isn’t perfect always. We were out on a short ride recently by ourselves and she saw a horse way in front of her and then it disappeared around a corner! Wait what? Where did it go? Oh DEAR! That was it! She stopped in her tracks and I let her stand for a second and squeezed her forward with my legs and she turned to the left and wanted to turn around. I decided it wasn’t worth it to try and force her somewhere she wasn’t comfortable even though she has been down this trail thousands of times. We turned around and she was a little anxious but calmed down when she realized we were heading home. These kind of rides don’t happen often, but we as a pair need to be smart and take the not so good rides and do our best to make it home safely. We do just fine and almost every ride is just about perfect! ❤

I like to explain my approach to horses just so those of you out there that may have horses know that I don’t have the perfect horses, but I do use training techniques that promotes trust and a good bond between horse and rider. I listen to my horses and I try and make sure we both understand each other. When I work with them each day we are always working on this bond and it is a great joy and very rewarding working with these beautiful animals.

I wanted to share a video of Murphy who on this day felt really good. He usually takes a little bit to warm up and get his energy up enough to run, buck and play! This day last month, he was “feeling his oats” as we like to say! Haha, I hope you enjoy!

He is such a silly boy! Murphy doesn’t always run like this which I am thankful for as I want him to be calm and relaxed. He is definitely on the lazy side, which is what I like and I think will make for a nice trail horse when he gets older. I am mostly riding in the arena as there are many things for him to learn and for him and I to grow that bond together as we work together under saddle. He is so much FUN! ❤

Today I rode in the arena on Murphy (stinker grabbed my rein you can see in the photo, but I wanted to take a photo of his head. He tries to put everything in his mouth!) and another friend on her horse Fashion!

Murphy and I had fun riding this weekend in the arena with my girlfriend on her horse Fashion. She is so beautiful and I recently clipped Fashion with a trace clip to help keep her cool. She grows a very thick winter coat because she has Cushing’s which is a disease that affects their pituitary gland. They often have long or thick coats and they don’t shed as readily. There are many other symptoms but she is on medication which helps her symptoms and she is doing great. She is 25 years old. My friend also rides her out on trail with me and Chloe. She isn’t very good at being a leader so I won’t ride out with her on Murphy. He needs much more arena riding anyways before I ride more out on trail. I am in no hurry with him, and if for some reason the trails are not a good fit for him we will just do arena riding. I am okay either way!

*Murphy after my ride today! I just Love him so much!*

I had FUN making this video! He is so soft!!

I haven’t been sharing as often as I was and so I have all these video’s saved up. So it’s your lucky day and I have 3 video’s in one blog post. (I just can’t help myself making these video’s and sharing.) 😀 I am trying to find my groove with my blogging. I so enjoy my blog, and I also love to interact and read other’s blogs but that takes time. I do not always make it to everyone’s posts, I try my best and I am hoping to get into a better blogging rhythm. That might sound strange, but to me there is kind of an art to blogging and everyone needs to have their blog represent who and what they are passionate about. My favorite blog’s are the ones that their passion shines! ❤

I’ve been reflecting deeply about my blogging as I’ve been away and not sharing like I once did and some of my feelings are not really worth sharing here but for some personal reasons I have been in a really reflecting, deep feeling, maybe even searching my soul type of mood. Haha, call me crazy but I sometimes overthink things and I have finally decided to be me and not worry about “the deep meaning of life” which is part of what I was reflecting on. Oh gosh, I want to be carefree and HAPPY! So enough of all of that stuff, but it was part of the reason I had slowed down on my blogging. I sometimes think it helps to share even though I’m just touching on this subject. I will say I have questioned very deeply my decision to purchase Murphy, but in the end I realized I did the right thing as he brings me GREAT JOY! He will be here when my sweet Chloe won’t be, even though it could be some years from now before we say our goodbyes. I will end with this, as this is what makes me SMILE!

*I sometimes pinch myself, did I just buy a racehorse? CRAZY!* ❤ ❤ ❤

Thank you so much for visiting and sharing coffee with me today!

Loving My Horse Crazy Life,

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; September ~ Fun In The Sun

On September 12, 2021 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share23 Comments

*These blooms are going crazy this time of year in my front yard!*

Welcome to my coffee share and yes, I usually share a cup of coffee as my first photo but I got to thinking the last few posts I’ve featured some pretty flowers. This bush in our yard is just going crazy and so full of blossoms I just had to share. Fall is in the air here even though we are still getting pretty hot each day, we can feel and see the days slowly getting shorter as we head into fall. I have been busy the last few weeks which include visiting my sister in Colorado for a long weekend and riding and taking care of my ponies and working. Of course, being busy includes family time here at home and if you know or have known any horse crazy people you will realize the horses take up much of my free time! 😀 😀 😀

Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? I will have some ice tea since we are having a hot weekend. I have so much to share. I had a grand time with my oldest sister and her beautiful family in Colorado. She lives south of Denver and the day I arrived there were scattered thunderstorms and rain. We had to drive home in the rain and at her house it even hailed! The hail stuck and looked like snow, and I asked if they get big hail and yes, they can get such big hail storms the hail can dent cars and cause damage. We never get hail that big and it never lasts long in our area on the ground.

*Some beautiful trees and my sister’s backyard. It was so pretty in Colorado! Perfect weather!*

The first photo is a beautiful tree in my nephews front yard. The second photo is my sister’s front yard with the pretty aspen and her back yard with her deck and greenery. My nephew and his wife live a couple streets away from his mom. I am so happy my sister has family so very close to her since she lives alone, family isn’t far away. Her grandkids would come over weekly or more often when they were younger. She always has a Sunday dinner so her son and his wife always get together with her to break bread. I just LOVE that tradition and it helps bring everyone together. I think family that eat together, stay together. I enjoyed being there for my long weekend to enjoy all the things they do together and their wonderful company.

*My sister treated me to sushi! Thank you Sis for the wonderful dinner! YUMMY!*

Here is to more visits with not only my sister in Colorado, but I am hoping to visit other family members as we wrap up this year and if I can’t fit it in these last few months then I will be traveling next year for sure! I have Portland, Reno, Idaho and Northern Calif to visit. Who knows? Maybe I will head back to Colorado next year too!

*Some pretty photos of Murphy I took this last week. I am actually standing pretty far away, but zoomed in to create these photos! He just melts my heart and makes me smile!* ❤

I am riding him both English and Western. I am actually riding him the same way, just with different saddles. My go to training is hunt seat. In the Western saddle I ride more forward because that is my go to training. I like the western saddle for the trails.

*I am riding with my friend Jane, on her horse Irish! Murphy was a good boy and I thank you sweet Jane for the ride today!*

I had such a great weekend with my horses. I like to call my horses my ponies, even though they aren’t ponies at all. I have mentioned it has been hot getting into the high 90’s (37C) and so I actually gave my ponies Saturday off but was able to ride both of them Sunday. Even on their day off I turn them out and let them be horses, meaning I am not doing any particular training with them. They can mosey around or run around and enjoy the time out and about in the arena. Can I get you a refill on your coffee or tea? I can tell you that the trail ride with Murphy went really well and I am so proud of him.

He remains calm through out the ride as we head down the trail. He will spook on occasion which is totally normal. I am always praising him and reassuring him which helps him learn that the little bit of scary stuff isn’t that scary. He is a very brave horse especially at his age of 3 and so I know that every ride he will just get better and braver. He has a lot to see out on the trails, so in time he will be just as seasoned as my girl Miss Chloe! ❤

*Miss Chloe is the sweetest horse I have ever owned! She melts my heart just as Murphy does and I am a lucky cowgirl!*

I had a super fun ride on Miss Chloe after I rode Murphy with another friend at the barn. We rode around the block and it was a bit hotter and later in the morning but it was a lovely ride. She is such a good pony, walking along as not much phases her on most rides. She is a horse of course, so there will be times when she will be frightened or scared but we have been together for so many years it doesn’t take much to reassure her that we are fine and she calms right down if she spooks.

Thank you for visiting my #weekendcoffeeshare and I want to thank Natalie who hosts as she is doing a wonderful job. I am just going to make it for this weekend share, but wanted to join in since it has been a couple of weeks. I want to thank my best friend for a wonderful lunch we had together this last weekend. We don’t see each other like we once did and so we are going to meet for lunches more often to stay in touch! YAY! I just love that and I will try and stop by her barn more often as well. I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead! 😀

Happy Trail Riding and Traveling Cowgirl,

~Diana ❤

My Weekly Smile; End of Summer ~Aug 30th

On August 30, 2021 By DianaIn Living life, weekly smile28 Comments

*I had to use this flower again, so unusual and it makes me smile!* 😀

Welcome to my weekly smile! I have been taking a bit of a blogging break. This summer has been very busy, so different than last year right? Lot’s of family visits, which I LOVE SO MUCH! There is more visiting coming up for me as I will be heading to Colorado at the end of this week to visit my sister. I have seen her as she has come to California a few times in the last 5 years but I haven’t been to CO in about 8 years. As I am writing this I am thinking I will continue with this blogging break until I return from vacation for another week or so. Since I have some fun video’s I made to share I decided to write this post and explain my break.

When I return to blogging more regularly I’m going to give myself permission to not feel pressured to write a blog post. I feel like I can get a little OCD about writing my blog thinking I have to write and share on this link or another and then I pressure myself into thinking I am letting everyone down if I can’t keep up. Isn’t that a little crazy? Do you feel like that too, or is it just my crazy brain as I so enjoy being involved and join in. I guess I need to just take a chill pill and blog when it feels right and not worry! I’ll take my advice! Haha, I’m smiling!! 😀

It really has been nice to work on some of my crafts, and relax and not make myself crazy with pressure about my blog. This should be fun and so I am not leaving but I may post less often so that I can balance my busy life. 😀

*I Love this baby blanket pattern! I decided to try a different background color which is variegated grey, white and pink!*

I am smiling as I am finally making progress on another baby blanket I am making for a good friend and her baby girl. When I find something I love to make, I will make it in different colors and then gift it to my relatives or good friends. I have done this with fingerless mittens and scarfs, haha, I guess I get a little OCD about crochet patterns!

My daughter said that her friends colors in the nursery are pink and grey. I am thinking probably more pink than grey, and I didn’t ask for photos but as I looked through the yarn to buy I found this variegated yarn that is really pretty in person. The photo doesn’t do it justice but it is grey/white/pink. Very light pink, so light in pink that it mostly looks grey. Darn it all, it’s not really a very good baby color but I am going to finish it and I found a nice pink yarn you can see in the photo for the border. It will help bring out the pink in the grey, I hope! It’s kind of antique looking and really super cool I think. I can always keep it if I don’t think it’s worthy of gifting! Sorry about this long description, it’s just been a challenging blanket to put together with the colors I chose! 😀 Now, on to my horsey adventures!

*My sister riding Murphy for the first time! What a good boy, they look great!!*

We had so much fun riding when my sister visited this month. She drove from Idaho with her oldest son who is on Murphy. We rode out on trail with my best friend and Roscoe. My sister came for her youngest sons birthday who lives here in California not far from us and so it was so great to also have her meet Murphy! I am so proud of Murphy as he was so good with everyone and I also had some fun trail rides. (I am one of 6 kids, so it can get confusing. This sister here on Murphy is now visiting my sister in Colorado. I have a sister in Oregon and another in Northern CA. I have a brother in Reno, NV. It will take a lot of weekends away to catch up and see everyone, eventually!)

Trail riding with my best friend on Roscoe and my sister on Fashion and her son on Chloe! 😀 😀 😀

I’m smiling from ear to ear! What fun trail rides while my sister visited. My sister brought cool weather with her the week she was here! She is riding a good friend’s horse and her name is Fashion. She is a black and white paint and she is in her 20’s and knows the Norco trails well. It is really good for Murphy to go out with other horses. He wasn’t bothered by the group and with 4 of us we all had a blast!

I am in no hurry with Murphy and his training, taking one day at a time and he gets days of rest or turn out to just be a horse. I am riding him in the arena with him learning what I want him to do for me and we are working on the walk, trot and canter. He is extremely lazy, so I ask a little bit and reward him when he does what I ask of him. He is very smart and learning so fast. He is learning to move off of my leg, which means I use my leg to have him move over to pressure from either side and I use my reins as well. I won’t go into all the detail, I am just so happy he is understanding my cues and I reward with a release and a nice free walk. It is all so much FUN!! 😀

*He is really happy and has such personality! Murphy and I are bonding well. I Love this boy so much!* ❤

I can’t believe this month is ending. Where did this year go? It is really going fast so I am trying to slow down and enjoy each day. I think the last few weeks I am accomplishing this and I am finding my stride. I know one thing and that is I am looking forward to Fall and hopefully cooler weather. We have been hitting 100F(38C) too often this summer and we are expecting cooler weather this coming week. This weekend was really hot and I took a video of Murphy after I hosed him off and he likes to play with the hose and loves the water. I will end with this short video and I want to thank you so much for visiting my smile post! What makes you smile? I do love hearing from you and I thank you for reading and following my blog!!

I want to thank Trent for hosting My Weekly Smile! With the world craziness, it is great to smile at the simple things whenever possible. Have a great week!

Smiling Happy Cowgirl,

~Diana ❤

Weekend Coffee Share; Trail Riding Fun in August!

On August 15, 2021 By DianaIn Living life, weekend coffee share17 Comments

*Welcome to my weekend coffee share! Cookies anyone?*

Howdy! I got inspired by my daughter when she told me she has a friend who had trouble making a good chocolate chip cookie and her friend decided to make Mrs. Field’s Cookie recipe. I looked in my cupboard for my Mrs. Field’s cookbook and I have 2 copies of her cookie cookbook from the 90’s. One is new and one is well used, not sure why I have 2 and will give one to my daughter if she doesn’t have one. I just looked it up and it was published in 1992! My daughter told her friend those are cookies from her childhood, yup! I cooked many, many cookies from that cookbook. I haven’t cooked from her cookbook in quite a few years, sticking it in the cupboard I just stopped using it. I know one reason is she bakes her cookies low and slow, it takes double the time to bake one sheet of cookies! BUT IT IS SO WORTH THE WAIT!! These Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip cookies are the bomb!! YUMMY! ❤ ❤ ❤

Forgive me, can I get you a cup of coffee or tea with some cookies? I sure wish I could share them with you all! I just could not resist sharing a photo with you today. I may use this photo from time to time as cookies go with coffee very well! Now onto my weekend, and I had a ton of fun with my stable friends and both my horses. I am getting to know my new horse Murphy better every single day. He is so much FUN!! 😀

*My girlfriend at the stables saw me ride in from my trail ride with my friend on Roscoe and took these photos!*

*This was on Saturday and I was able to trail ride both Saturday and Sunday!*

I will tell you that I am a bit out of shape. Riding the trails on my other horse Chloe does not take all that much effort on my part so my riding legs are out of shape. Too be honest, after riding each horse the last two or three days I am a bit sore. My legs (or thighs) are sore this evening but it is a good sore meaning it is worth the riding as I want to get in shape. I need to get stronger, but Murphy is out of shape too because he is young and hasn’t done much which is perfect. We will both get into shape together! We are a team! Haha, a wonderful team and we are working really well together! YAY!

I am sharing my video’s a bit out of order but I figured it doesn’t really matter what day is what ~ it all happened this weekend. This video I took on Sunday as I didn’t think to take a video on my Saturday ride. I have another video I am going to share which I took on Saturday on Miss Chloe. It was so fun to be out with my horses this weekend. Here is Miss Chloe!

She is such a sweet horse and we have so much fun just checking out the neighborhood. I don’t know why, but I was noticing the trees and I have walked and driven by all of these houses countless of times when this one house just caught my eye with all the palm trees. I wish I kept the video going as I rounded the corner as the line of palms continues down the other side of the property!! They have quite the palm tree collection that is for sure!! I hope you enjoyed my video’s for this weekend. I have so much FUN making them, and I so enjoy sharing them!

I am going to end this coffee share with a couple of photos of my sweet horses and I hope you have had a wonderful weekend in this month of August. I can’t believe it’s the 15th, half the month is gone already.

*My horse LOVES!! I am completely obsessed with these beautiful animals. They melt my heart and fill my soul!* ❤

I want to thank Natalie for hosting this weekends #weekendcoffeeshare as she is doing a wonderful job. Thank you Natalie!!

Happy Trail Riding Cowgirl!

~Diana ❤

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My Weekly Smile; End of Summer ~Aug 30th