911

  I cant go forward today without remembering the past.     This is a day my mother called me and asked if I had the t.v on. No, mom what's up….she said turn it on, the world has just came to the end. What. What??? Really…what's going on? I turned on the tube and learned that life was we know it would no happen again. I watched in wonder, in disbelief, in horror  as the towers fell. Death, and more death, captured by the   cameras, they captured it all. How did this happen? WHY?

   Should I go to work or stayed tuned to the t.v? I called my husband….he didn’t  know…can he come early I asked…I'm afraid. No, sorry business as usual, people had died and companies were the last to know, soon after yes….he can come home. I went to the barn, turned out my horses and wondered…what if it had HIT here”: Here, would I run for the hills, stay at home and wait for the best or take up a gun and pray for a sure shot. What if we this were ever to happen on our home front….the enemy rushing in what would you do? I believe I would fill my  horse trailer with food…take my best two endurance horses….turn the rest loose and head for the hills. I know I can get “lost” in the woods and trees… I know I can survive what mother nature throws at me….can you? I cant dodge a bullet but I can shot them, I cant fly a chopper but I know I can shoot one. I know, what I can eat from the ground that mother nature provides, I know I will build a shelter for me and my horses….I know I can survive…can you?

Tansy Ragwort and

Tansy or common ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, is a weed of the sunflower family Asteracaeae. It is usually considered to be a biennial, overwintering either as seeds or as rosettes, but it is also capable of becoming a perennial through environmental stress or interference by competitors, herbivores, or control tactics

The plant is erect and robust, ranging from about 1.3 to 6 ft tall, and develops a stout taproot from which grow numerous fleshy roots extending to about 1 ft deep. Leaves are light to dark green and deeply lobed. The lower leaves form a rosette which die back when flowering is well advanced. The upper part of the stem is highly branched and bears up to 250 bright yellow daisy-like flowers. Single plants are capable of producing over 150,000 seeds, which can remain viable in the soil for three years or longer. I have this plant in my fields. We have hand pulled them up, applied weed killer and mowed them over. One of my jobs this year is to try to get a handle on them. I have been fighting the battle, but my field still have many of the flowers in them. It is a battle that starts early in the year and continue until all are pulled, mowed or sprayed. At the end of the year my fields always look good, but come spring. I will have new plants sprouting among the grass and other weeds. This year I have noticed Buttercup weeds.

Creeping buttercup occurs on a wide range of soils but forms large colonies on wet, heavy land. On ridge and furrows, it often occurs in a band along the bottom of the furrows. It can withstand trampling and compaction and is common in gateways and on paths. It can tolerate both waterlogging and a moderate drought.

There are several different kinds of buttercup weeds, including tall buttercup, creeping buttercup, and Bermuda buttercup. All of them have several things in common besides being a problem. They steal nutrients, water, and sunlight from desirable plants and grasses, grow where they're unwanted, and look unsightly. There are several things you can do to remove these aggressive weeds, before they wreak havoc on your garden or lawn.

  The cure is almost the same as with the Tansy. Dig them up, cover   them with plastic, or use a weed killer on them. We have found that this weed is harder to remove then the Tansy. So with the fine weather that we are now having here in the Northwest, I will be gleefully sprays this weeds. They will take over before you know it. Your once grassy fields will start with one or two plants..blink and you will have a field of pretty yellow flowers, non of which your animal's will want to eat, that will rob the soil of nutrients and smother all of your grass.

Elbe Hills Challenge

Linda, Dean and I decided to try our hand at the Elby Endurance ride.  The ride was held Aug. 27 at  Elby Wa. At the Elbe Hills / Sahara Creek Campground. The Nicholson Trail System  was used. It is a technical mountain type riding area. This ride was a combination of road and single-track trails. The terrain was  varied with elevation climbs and descents. We had  a number of bridges to cross and a couple of creek crossings to maneuver. We had heard that last year the trail beat the riders with a very low completion rate. We had planned to take the challenge and see if we could beat the mountain.The day dawned clean and bright, a sure sign that it was going to be a hot one. I hoped to try to make some time in the morning figuring that we would be slowing down as the day heated up and the trail got longer.  We left with the front runners and found a hole and managed to stay there all day. I found the trail not a lot harder then the ones we ride about home. The horses had no problem with the climbs. We did slow down on a lot of the technical trails. It was nice to be forced to walk and just enjoy the views.
Linda and I came in 4th and 5th, which really surprised us. I had no clue we were placed as we were. Spot was a grade B lame all day long. She felt fine on all the Soft trails but was on and off on the hard packed roads. As I came into the 3rd vet check I noticed she had blown a small abscess out of her left front hoof. Aww, I now know why she was a bit off. She is so tough, she never did let me know what was going on. The trail in to camp and the final vet check is all down hill, so we went slow and then slower. I really thought that we would be passed at anytime. I think everyone was going slow and safe also. My ride time was somewhere in the 7 plus hours….which is about 2 hours longer then I normally take to ride a 50.   Dean did not fair as well as his horse got a girth gull at 40 miles and he elected to catch a ride back to camp. I think all the up and down rubbed him wrong. This is a ride that I will put on my list for next year. I will remember to carry a camera so I can catch some of the spectacular views next time! Nikki and Katie was super crew ad usual. They we not able to go to the out check, but were a lot of help in camp. So my riding friends, Take some time and go and camp. There is a map of the trails, miles and miles of riding and the best part..the camp ground is free! There is also running potable water. Very neat place. I plan to try and get back for a weekend soon.