Hello?

[rubymontana]

Sam??? How are you? I came in here to gain more insight and no one is home... Hope you are just busy living a good life and nothing is wrong. You have a lot of us spoiled to reading your posts so often, maybe you should just go ahead and write a book! Peace, Ruby

[~Sam~]

Hey ya, Ruby!

I'm fine, just catching up on my computer jones. Last Wednesday we went cable... Thursday night my cable went down and I've been without until today. I think it's what they call progress... yup, my progress.

While I was without, we got the drainage system in the barn open and running. Now my right arm and hand are abraided cause I had my arm up a three inch pipe working a hand snake while Kenny was working the hose with "jet" pressure from the top end.

In my mare's stall, there is a groundwater stream running through. The stone wall, actually it's bedrock, had collapsed some, and last New Year's we had a stone mason friend come and rebuild it. In the process he mudded up the 4" drain pipe and he and Ken filled in the drainage ditch. So I dug it out again and got some quarter inch plate steel to cover the ditch. Painted both sides of the plate steel, and while the paint was wet on the top side, I sprinkled some sand on the wet paint so that Precious won't slip and slide when (and if...) she steps on it. I had to do this because I'm using sawdust for bedding... and capillary action being what it is, all of her stall eventually became sodden.

Then... I got some Chickens !!! Nice, pretty chickens. My friend, whose pic is in one of these posts here, and I were sitting on her back walk feeding her chickens from our hands. So I asked her for some. She went in and got some shopping bags... you know the kind with handles. And some wooden clothes pins to close the bags with. We caught 8 chickens and put them in the bags so that I could take them home...(I had my pup Cody with me... he chases chickens, so this is lessons in the bag for him)...

I thought to myself, "This is gonna be like an Arlo Guthrie song...'Chickens flyin' everywhere around the plane.'" So I loaded the shopping bags full of chickens into the truck, smacked the dog around a little when he went for the bags, rolled my windows up and drove home. The birds made it home without incident... Cody doesn't chase chickens anymore... and I have chicken shit all over the place (just like State Troopers). I went out and bought some chicken wire today and some T posts, so that problem will soon be solved. Also bought an outhouse and put it down the bottom end of the garden to serve as a coop. The rooster, Snowball, cock-a-doodle-doo's like crazy. It just ain't a farm without a rooster crowing. Gawd, but I Love chickens. Love to watch them, love to hear them... but don't like to kill, pluck and eat them... so they Are pets, and will stay pets...(and fox food).

So, my hedge framed used-to-be vegetable garden will now be a chicken yard... chicken wire on the inside. I'll post a pic of it when I get it all up and running. Should be good until the stream floods. But I'll watch the weather and let them free range when it looks like flooding weather.

What else?... Oh! I've been riding my horses up and down the back roads. Both of them. I ride the mare bareback mostly, to get my seat back. Raven is a bit fractious to do that with now, but all he needs is some time under saddle (oiled my saddle today for the first time) and he'll be a great trail horse. I've taken to calling him Spook Daddy cause he'll spook at the littlest thing... like a leaf or a hoop print.

The goats are doing extremely well. They're such loving little critters. Well, little may not be the word, they are over 150 lbs each. Both horses are fat and happy. The new chickens are laying... Peewee eggs. And the Ole Man is driving me nuts... good nuts, but nuts just the same.

Saturday we drove up to Biglersville to buy some 7 foot Norway Spruce trees (20 of them), now I'm waiting for the tree guys to dig them and I'll go pick them up with my friend's landscaping lowboy trailer next week. Now we have to dig 20 holes. We're planting them on our side of the stream to act as a privacy and noise barrier. Privacy for the both our tennents and us. There are plenty of trees there now but they're deciduous and when the leaves fall we can see one another. We've had this planned for years but are just now getting around to doing it.

Caught up on all the laundry this AM, and went for a ride. So that's what I've been a doin'.

I was tickled pink when I found your thread here... made my day. Nice to know that I've been missed and thought about with love.

You Take Care Now,
Love Ya.... Sam

[teepi]

I love chickens...

http://www.hipforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8021&stc=1

as pets too of course.
teepi

[rubymontana]

Well by God...ain't it amazing what can get done when your puter is ailing???? I am glad to hear of the chickens...I love 'em too. My neighbor has a few and that old rooster wakes me up every morning, nice and homey. NOT like the jarring of a damed alarm clock. As for your Raven, beautiful creature, being shy....I too have been bucked off for no more than him hearing the sound of a turtle falling off a log. Damn. Hurts too!!!!!! Sam, I enoyed the post today, and Teepi..........Did you paint that chicken??????? If so, I betcha Sam needs it to hang with the goat! She'll have her own gallery of all TEEPI ART !!!! Of course it won't be worth anything till after you're dead, ain't that the way it goes.......Peace ya'll.....Ruby

[teepi]

Last time I rode a horse I was 13 and thumbing back to VT from Ca and got picked up by a van full of kids who took me to one of their houses and momma fed me and the next day we went to a beautiful state park where you could rent a horse for all day for 6.00 and ride anywhere, at dinner time you just let the horse go where they may and they knew when to come back to the stable.

Only thing was that while in Ca there was a store who's dumpster I visited and found a bag full of leather scraps, I sewed a beautiful kalidescope of various colored leather and suede patches all over my jeans including the buttock area.

Well after riding all day......yes, I still have 2 round scars back there, one on each cheek.

Yep, that is my funky chicken,with shit kickin' boots on, but alas, I have sold it.

Yeah, the dead artist thing sure sucks.lol
teepi

[rubymontana]

You mean 2 round scars on your butt????? LOL LOL! Tried explaining those a lot? I wish I could have known you guys back when, man we would have had a Blast! I did my share of thumbing, wasn't scared a bit...hell, times were different and all the brothers a sisters were willing to help a child of God on the road. That reminds me of one time on the road trying to get home....These "BAPTISTS" picked me up and drove me about 70 miles or so....they were way over 30 , if you know what I mean, and gave me all these pamphlets and tried to "save" me the whole way!!!! I guess thats the only time I was ever scared!!!! Peace Ruby

[~Sam~]

Mornin' Girls!

Isn't it funny about the term; Worth? Just because a person is no longer in this physical world to make more "Art"... well, I guess it illustrates the notion of supply and demand that most collectors hold near and dear.

But, to me, the beauty of the art that surrounds me is just that ... the beauty of the moment that it captures my attention as I'm passing by and glance at it. It holds the memories and energy of the person who created it, energy from my own continued appreciation, and I realize full and well that I am only passing through this world and have but that one glimpse of beauty to hold in my heart.

"Nothing is permanent... Everything's on loan here." ~ The Pretenders

Ruby! I hate to say this out loud because when you do that you usually seal your own fate... But, I seem to have a behind made of glue when I sit a saddle. I was thrown once, from a 17 hand Thoroughbred stallion. I hadn't but mounted when he broke himself in two... as I was tossed into the air over his head, I marvelled at how the world looked upside down. Didn't know that horses could run and buck on the sky. I hadn't thought of that mind picture since I was 17, but here it is, as clear as day.

Guess I'd better knock on wood, eh? Or else I might be wearing gravel in my cheeks today. Sitting a saddle all day long sure leaves and "Impression" doesn't it, Teepi? Round scars, eh? Must be a Beautiful sight.

Well, that does it for me today. I have to go out and throw some grain and hay around, pull some teats, then get the pup into the truck to take him to the Vet's for his 5 month check up. Damned dog is as smart as a whip and twice as strong. He's right there when I light up... enjoys the piss out of it... then he becomes unmanageable. Yesterday, he got so wound-up that he was tearing around the porch, took a running leap, cleared the chaise lounge and landed on the glider ending up right beside me. He lost his last puppy tooth last Sunday, but he still thinks I'm something he can chew on and now he has a full compliment of Newfy chompers. And rough? ...let me tell you, this pup can take abuse... he fights hard. When I take him out for a walk in the yard, he runs off, then returns and gives me a full tilt running, jumping body block.

Shoot! Now I really gotta run, the neighbor just called and needs me to drive her to the school to pick up her son who's in Kindergarden. See ya all later.

Sam

[~Sam~]

Hey Ruby... we missed each other in the mail...

Those Baptists tried to save me too. They are scarey aren't they? I tried to avoid them, but one day when I was all drunked up, their minister came knocking on my door. I wouldn't answer. Three days later, I got this scathing letter in the Post... it said that since I wouldn't accept the Lord as my savior, he was requesting that the Lord remove his protection from my soul and was to deliver me to the forces of evil at 3 O'clock on Friday.

That Friday, at exactly 3 O'clock, lightning struck the transformer on the pole outside his home and left Baptistown, NJ without power for hours.

Says something about the power of prayer, don't it? Be careful for that which you pray.

Sam

[rubymontana]

Once again, Sam, you have hit all the nails square on the head!!!! Have a good one, Love and Peace, Ruby