Meteor in the Rockies

Wednesday morning around midnight, the Utah and Idaho sky's were lit up by a meteor. I didn't actually see it but Chris said he felt our house rumble and wasn't sure what it was. He thought one of our trees fell in our yard. Chris' grandma and sister actually saw it and said it was remarkable.
I have been watching every video posted, and I find myself fascinated and even a little scared ath what was witnessed. Our earth and heavens are truly remarkable. Plus I think it is incredible to have this happen in my lifetime.

DISNEY'S UP ~COUPON

http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/up/couponoffer/

Go to this link and you can get a $10 off coupon for Disney's Up. It is the combo pack that you can get at Walmart for $19.99 originally, so with this coupon you can get it for $10.00. It is a great Christmas gift but you can only print out 2 coupons per printer and it is only good until next Tuesday Nov. 17. So go out and get it.

Happy Halloween

It is that time of year again when Val and I get to be someone other than ourselves.

This year we searched our deep down and this is what we found.

I am afraid to admit it but I can pull off being a nerd way to easily.

People really should warn me about my fly being down before a picture is taken. I mean it is just common courtesy.

The Kingston Gang

Home on the Range

Today we headed up to the cabin to bring the cows home for the winter. I can't believe how fast this summer flew by, it seems like we just took them up. We are bringing them home a little earlier than the past few years and that is only because we are supposed to get socked in with weather in the next couple of days.

John came by this morning and asked Kelle and I if we were willing to take the horses to the cabin to round up any stray cows that were not with the rest of the herd. Of course we jumped at the chance to play cowgirls. We saddled the horses quickly and loaded them up into the truck and headed up to the cabin. We rode for about an hour and actually found 3 strays on our neighbors land. As soon as the cows saw that we were after them, they took off running. Missy, Sassie and little Sheeza, never having any experience in chasing cows, ran after them and headed them off into the right direction as if they have been doing it all of their lives. It was almost as if it were instinct. When we got to about the place where we originally saw the cows, the mama cow decided to jump the fence into our property. So Kelle and I thought we will just bring down the younger calves and the mama would make her way down by herself. We were doing actually pretty well until one of the babies decided he didn't like being away from the mom took off and jumped the fence as well. To make a long story short, we lost all three because they went into the thick brush, were we could not go on horse back. But we knew they were heading in the right direction so Kelle and I decided to head back down as well, we could see darkening clouds in the horizon and w knew we didn't want to get stuck riding in the elements. We made it to the valley and told John and Chris what had happened and they said the cows would make it down and not to worry. We loaded the cows that we had, into the semi and stock truck and headed for home. After the semi was unloaded John, Chris and I went back up to the cabin to get the remaining cows and the horses that could not fit in the load prior. As we got there, we saw that the one of the calves that Kelle and I had chased, was down by the corral and we were able to put it with the other cows. Now all we needed was the black mama and the other calf and they will all be home, but they were no where to be seen. So we left a couple bales of hay in the corral and know that with the coming snow, those two cows will be coming out of the hills for the easy food and we will gather them up then and bring them home safely.

Even though we still have those two cows up there, John was very pleased to have the horses up there and for our willingness to help. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to live on a farm or have a ranch were I could do this kind of stuff. And here I am today.
I am loving it.

Enjoying Idaho's Incredible Fall Weather

We had incredible weather this weekend so I totally took advantage of it. Originally I was supposed to go down to Salt Lake for a Book of Mormon seminar with Chris and his dad, but due to the rain/snow the past couple of weeks Chris has had to postpone his farming duties. So instead of going down he worked on the farm all day Friday and Saturday, while I was able to enjoy the nice fall weather the only way I know how, by horseback riding.

Friday night after work Kelle and I grabbed the two mares along with Sheeza and went for a quick but beautiful ride. We went a different route that took us to the rapids of the Willow Creek, Kelle took advantage of the beautiful lighting and snapped some pictures. I did as well. I love the sunsets here and I love the openness of living out in the country. My family always knew I was a country bumpkin. What can I say, I admit it. I love being out here with out the noise of the city and the stress of it all. Here are the pictures I took last night.

Self portrait

(I cut part of my head off, but oh well I thought it was still a good shot with the big willow tree behind me.)

Kelle concentrating on the rapids.

Missy waiting patiently for Mekelle to get all of her shots.

Sassie's eye.

(I thought that this was just a cool picture.)

Sunsets and horse, what can be better?

Another beautiful shot of Sassie with the sun making her mane look like spun gold.

One of many famous Idaho sunsets.

(See what I mean, it is beautiful..)

Saturday I took just Sassie out, left Missy and Sheeza at home. This was my first time just taking Sassie since she had Sheeza, so they all were very anxious and nervous. It took me a while to get Sassie settled down long enough to mount. She was a nervous wreck the whole time. She tried to head for home every time I let the reins just rest, so my muscles are pretty sore tonight from keeping her going the direction that I wanted. I had a beautiful ride again. This time I went up the Iona hill and into a little neighborhood. It was nice change of scenery. By the time I got home Sassie looked like she had just gone through a car wash. She was drenched with perspiration from head to tail, just because she was away from her baby. Honestly I can't blame her. After I unsaddled her, I took her to a hydrant to wash and cool her off. She thoroughly enjoyed it. At one point she took the hose in her mouth and just let the water flow, it was fun to see how she how much she enjoyed it. Sassie was finally reunited with Sheeza after I brushed her. I could totally tell that they did not like being away from each other, but unfortunately this will not be the last time, and I only hope that Sassie learns to relax so my muscles can enjoy the ride next time. If I think I am sore now, I can't wait to see how bad it will be tomorrow. Ouch, not looking forward to that.

Sassie just before getting saddled.

You can tell she is a bit anxious even in this picture.
But she still looks gorgeous.

Beautiful hay field with the majestic snow capped Sawtooth mountains in the background.

Harvested barley field.

Beautiful contrast of colors. Between the golden color of the field to the bright crystal blue, cloudless sky.

Random, curious cow we met up with on our way home.

I loved this old shed with the poplar tree in the background. Thought it would be a pretty place to get pictures done, if I ever get around to it.

Chris with the hay hauler, gathering the many bails of hay. Today he picked up about 18 loads with every load having 70 bails. Yep, that is a whole lot of hay and a whole lot more to go.

After shot of Sassie.

Like I said, she is soaked from head to toe. And yes this was before I gave her a shower with the hose.

Sheeza @ 5 months

Sheeza is still trying to make up her mind about coloring. Her mane is going grey along with her back legs, but her tail and the majority of her body is a lighter brown. Sheeza is getting much bigger and is almost old enough to wein. She is doing well with having a halter and is getting better with the whole lead rope thing. She still has her moments when she tries to do her own thing but she is getting better. She is good with people handling her ears but we are still working on the feet. She tries to kick away when I am lifting them, but she is getting better. She has a great personality, she loves people and she loves to explore all around her. She is getting so big so fast. It has been fun watching her grow.