Like the First Day of School!

Those of us who have children know what it is like to send your child off to his/her 1st day at school. There is a mixed flow of emotions full of pride... and anxiety which of course, can produce...TEARS, even from a rough, tough cowgirl like myself.

Here is Baby Doll...getting Shayna Lady Rose all groomed up.

Ooppps...she heard the camera click and now wants to POSE...

Lady's butt is sure looking big here...I'm just saying.

Newly initiated PONY COUSIN... grooming up Jesse...with a bit of help from A Cowgirl's Grace!!! (my Sissy)So...as a mother...you all know how I felt, watching my babies leave camp with out me...for the very 1st time. Ok ,Ok not counting the Bossman and Dear Friends rides with them!!!

That's them...the last 2 horses...Lady and Jesse...I am so proud to be the human partner to these 2 magnificent equines!

Your Desert Rose!

The Joke's on YOU!!!

Most of you know by now that the PONY COUSINS sure to love to have fun whether on or off their ponies! But...did you know that we are considered MASTER PRANKSTERS??? We come by this trait naturally...from our PONY COUSIN side of the family. We grew up watching our aunts & uncles playing pranks and jokes on each other as adults just like they did in their childhood. For the most part...our PONY COUSIN pranks in the past have been fairly mild, short and sweet kinds of things...until last year when the CUZETTES waged war on their mothers & aunts! These young and perky cowgirls got it into their heads to scare the living daylights otta one innocent sleeping cabin...by sneaking into it in the dark and jumping on the beds of the unaware occupants. Since that time...there has been an ever increasing lack of trust between the generations within the PONY COUSINS that seems to have taken on a life of it's own.

Case in point at our recent 2010 PONY COUSIN STAMPEDE...the 6 Cuzsettes in attendance this year decided to play a practical joke on our dear sweet Cousin E who would never even harm a horse fly. They took advantage of her wonderful nature and plastered her true love heart's contents any and everywhere they could in her cabin. I was able to capture this sick act on digital film as proof of this demented prank!!!

This is NOT recommended viewing for the faint of heart!

Oh what wicked Cowchildren we have raised!

Your Desert Rose!

Blessings!

What a wonderful PONY COUSIN STAMPEDE we had. I am sure we will all be posting soon about our recent family gathering where we were blessed to initiate a new PONY COUSIN!!!There will be more on our new cowgirl soon but for now I am thankful for all the blessings in my life...loving family and friends whom I cherish!

As for these 2 beauties...I could not ask for any better companions out on the trail than Jesse and Shayna Lady Rose! ( yes...she earned her Rose name this trip)

Your Desert Rose!

Go Ahead...Make My Day!!!

You see this...all you equicuz's that are trying to steal my PONY COUSIN STAMPEDE CROWN??? I am not yet ready to give up my tiera...and will fight to the end! I will run the barrels, and breeze by the poles. I will roll back the keyhole so fast I may lose the Desert Rose...

I am planning on being the "Cranky Horse" of the day...in heat...ready to defend my Crown!

This is my CRANKY FACE!!!

Your Desert Rose!

Unexcused Absence!

I know that I am not the only one out there right now that has unintentionally been absent from the blog world. In the past few months I have only posted a few times. One of the biggest reasons is our semi annul migration back to the PNW for the summer. It is quite a chore packing up our whole family... since we all have to pack up every black purse, black pair of shoes, black shawl, black pants and black top we own...oh ya and our black saddle pads!!!

It has also been a time of grief for us. Still reeling from the loss of my Loving Husbands brother last Thanksgiving...this spring we lost our 2 kittens ( cats) with in 5 weeks of each other! I just have not had the heart to write a single word...even in memory of our wonderful feline companions of almost 20 years! Now I am feeling stronger both physically and emotionally and have a few posts in the works! It has been a busy return from the desert for us with not only our 19, 17 & 15 yr teenage grandchildren here in town ( wish we could see them more...but they now have their own lives) we have our 4, 3, 1 & 1/2, and one yr old grandchildren here in town! We have had our East Coast granddaughters here for 4 days ...without the mommy & daddy and we loved it...but let's be honest...the PAPA is not the caregiver...the ZSA ZSA is!!!

So now I have caught you up a bit...have lots of posts pictures to share with you and hope to get back in the saddle with you all again...

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Your Desert Rose!

PS...Just could not resist posting one picture that has nothing to do with anything I have just written!

Overlook into a canyon on the South Ridge Trail ( intersecting the PCT) June, 2009

OUT OF MY LEAGUE!

I am soooo outta my leagues with most of you that are great photographers...or have the skills to tweak your photos! I have... neither skill and am not ashamed to admit it. However...every now and then...I get lucky!

So then...here are what I consider to be my 3 best landscape photos...plz be gentle and kind...I cry easily when not on horseback!!!

This was last fall...right next to where Miss Mackena and I posed for our "in the ocean" photo opp!

Joshua National Park...1st ride on Jesse after his summer down south!!! ( Remember...I pee'd my saddle on this ride!)My favorite TREE oat our house Fall 09! OK...I was sneaking a cigarette when I noticed the vibrant red in the tree...just like my hair!!!

Your Desert Rose!

Desperate Cowgirl!!!

I bet at one time or another we all wish that we could control what comes out of our man's mouth...but it looks like Baby Doll has found a solution! Was she that desperate that she put a sting on her man's back??? Great idea Baby Doll!!!
Your Desert Rose!

A 3 RING CIRCUS!!!

Today...after stopping at 2 feed stores over an hour from my house...in the PNW rain...I backtracked to the stables to drop off "Lunch bags...(although given at dinner)! As I arrive, the owner is bringing in the horses...I saw Jesse out in pasture as I drove in and I asked to bring him in and then Shayna Lady when it was her turn. Jesse was being a jerk...walking through his lead, head up high, neck looking like a stallions...a REAL jerk! I made him back up several times and slapped him with his lead rope. He settled down just enough to not get scolded and I took him to his stall where his food was waiting. I sat down on the aisle floor making "lunch bags" for the week and Jesse was calling and calling. It was a chilling sound...echoing through the barn and since I was just beneath him...extremely loud in my ears!!! I... of course thought he just wanted to be with me...and almost took him out to go be in the arena with me to play. Then the stables owner told me it was Shayna Lady's turn to come in. I pulled on the hood to my sweat shirt cause the drizzle was now RAIN to go out to get her. My Shayna Lady...was also being a BRAT...walking ahead of me...turning sideways, she got in trouble too...but not as bad as Jesse! As we near the barn I can hear Jesse...still calling! Shayna Lady saw her stall door...but did not argue when I asked her to walk over to Jesse's stall. There they stood...touching noses, nickering softly through Jesse's stall bars. After a bit...I turned Shayna Lady around and put her in her stall...and did not hear one more peep from Jesse!!!
Now...Jesse has watched over Shayna Lady since she was just a little filly ponying her in the desert as she grew up. I can just see him now...thinking he is her "knight in shinning armor"...her protector...calling for her if she is outta his sight, tied on the other side of the trailer...calling for her if she leaves his side on the trail....calling for her if she is unsaddled and put away first. This will NOT be acceptable behavior...!
And...in a few weeks...we are going to my Sissy's for some rides with our equicuz's Dusty and THE KING...who as many of you know...has a HUGE crush on Shayna Lady. So how will this scenario play out??? Will Jesse be happy to see his good friend and (now equicuz )THE KING??? Will THE KING ignore Jesse and only have eyes for Shayna Lady??? Will Jesse try to keep THE KING away from Shayna Lady??? Will THE KING get upset because JESSE is in front of him??? In the past IF Jesse even tried to get in front of THE KING...he would walk sideways to make sure he blocked Jesse from getting in front of him. Will Shayna Lady go into heat when she sees THE KING??? ( she kicked at him once cause he had his nose...you know where... and she got tired of it) Will Jesse and THE KING be vying for Shayna Lady's affections???

Jesse...THE PROTECTOR!

Shayna Lady...The Princess! The King...LOVER BOY!

And the poor Dustbuster...looking on at this possible 3 ring circus!
Your Desert Rose!

SHAYNA LADY!

It is official...this "Pretty Lady" is now ours!!! My loving husband and I are the proud new parents of the equine formally known as LITTLE LADY. Our adoption process has taken almost 3 years to complete. Little Lady was foaled at our desert stables January 18th, 2004. Her Dam was Little Bit ( who has now gone to horsey heaven) and her Sire is...SLICK"S MACHO MAN (yes that is The Bossman's Slick...our resident stallion and drunk). Obviously...LL looks more like her mother!

I remember 1st seeing LL when she was just one day old with her little HOT PINK halter on. I saw her many times being turned out in the arena to play with her mom who could not keep up with this new baby so full of energy. She was a feisty little thing and would do those little baby rear ups and sideways walks down the aisle to the arena. I left the desert at the end of the season and did not see LL again until she was about 10 months old. I could not get over how she was ALL legs!!! By now her dam was long gone from her side and she looked so small in her stall. At that time...the Bossman and I were not "friends". Sure...we were friendly...but he just thought I was some dumb red head...he still thinks that!
It was not until our former trainer got married and deserted us...that The Bossman became our trainer...and it was another year before we started riding together. However...Jesse and LL became pals because Jesse would PONY LL several times a week when the Bossman would ride him. LL would nip at him and be playful which Jesse did not always care for. But I know that they are very fond of each other...they always greet each other with a soft nicker. By now LL is 3 years old and sent for 3 months to finishing school. There she learns how to do all that arena stuff that she will never need to do out on the trail...but she knows it all! When she came back to the stables from finishing school The Bossman immediately began riding her on many of our rides together! I was so impressed with how good she was. Sure...from time to time there would be a small issue..nothing at all that was not worked through easily. The next year...The Bossman offered LL to me to ride whenever I had a guest in town...cause they would ride Jesse and I would ride LL. I did have more issues with her than the Bossman did...but then...I was not as confident on any horse except Jesse. Cousin Baby Doll was with us one day when we had a smalll rodeo...and she and Jesse wisely choose to give us plenty of room on the trail.
Then because of Jesse's bad feet, the next year when LL was 4...I rode her almost as much as I rode Jesse. When LL was 5...Jesse's feet were a major issue and I decided I needed to leave him in the desert with The Bossman so that the "Shoe Salesman" would be able to continue his great work on Jesse's feet for the summer. That meant...I would be horseless for the summer...and that would just NOT do. In the end...The Bossman offered LL to me for the summer in the PNW.

LL and I learned to trust each other and she stepped up to every challenge I put to her. She lead 95% of our rides...won the Stampede Rodeo Queen Crown for us and we became very attached to each other. LL also seemed to really enjoy her new "outfits"! She loved getting all prettied up for our rides in coordinating colored blankets and halters matching my "outfit" for the day. And she loved all the lunch treats she found in her bucket everyday

This is kinda the funny part. Ever since I have been riding LL...the joke was that someday she would be mine...then I would have to pay the Bossman to ride her for me...well now the joke is on The Bossman...cause LL is ours...and next year...he will have to pay us...to ride her! On a more serious note...Little Lady is a mouthful to spit out sometimes when the "Lemonade" is flowing freely...or if she's naughty...I just call her "LADY...QUIT"! However in Yiddish there is a word that fits her to a T...Shayna...meaning pretty and so LL will now be known as...

Shayna Lady

Your Desert Rose!

HOLD YOUR HORSES!!!

Your Desert Rose!

A Cowgirl's Kind of Grill!

So just imagine...going out to dinner and arriving there to find this!!! And this...

And all of this.....

Yes...this is the "outhouse"!

But the best of all...was having dinner with 2 of our favorite people!!!

Cousins Baby Doll and her Hubby!!!Your Desert Rose!

My Favorite Flower is in Season ( NOT HEAT)

It is always bittersweet to leave the desert and come back to the PNW...besides the grand kids... another sweet thing I enjoy coming home to is PEONIES!!! They are in the top 3 of my favorite flowers...but my #1 flower of choice for vases. They have a relatively short season so I get a new bunch as soon as the ones I have die. This week I had my family over for dinner and decided to really splurge for the table center piece. I usually put it inside of an Asian cashe pot...makes for a fabulous arrangement! Unfortunately...I did not get a picture of them...but here is the finished vase!

Here's both vases...

I took a picture a few days later so you could see how the Peonies have opened...

Because they are in 2 vases...I can spread the beauty around the house!

Your Desert Rose!

YEARLING'S... UPDATE!

It has been a while since you all have seen a recent picture of my "Filly's"! since I have been back (10 days) in the PNW I have had all 4 of the young grandkids that live in town for an overnight or daytime visit and I got some great new pictures.

The Rosa Jewel is not quite a year and a half...

The Rosette just turned a year old last month...

These little cousins will have such fun growing up together!!!

Your Desert Rose!

Miss Tequila Rose!!!

You have seen pictures of Miss Tequila Rose before in a post or two...hasn't she grown up? She has become so well trained...she can even ride a horse...with her Dad The Tattooed Cowboy! One day not too long ago Tequila Rose wandered by my tack room. I called out to her and she stopped and peeked inside!What would entice this girl to come and visit me??? Am I so much fun that she wanted to come and play??? Am I so witty that she just wanted to chat with me awhile???

Or...does she know that I am...THE COOKIE LADY!!!

Miss Tequila Rose took her cookies so gently from Auntie Rose (yes, her middle name is for me)... and poof...she was gone!
Your Desert Rose!