Yesterday I headed over to my sister in law’s house to check out their baby goats. I have never really hung out with a goat before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but these little suckers were adorable! I did learn that you should not stroke their billy goat beards (they pee on them?!). This is me looking a little bit crazy… “LET ME LOVE YOU!”
Skyler looks much cooler than me:
The two small white ones are the babies (they’re already getting big!). They snuggled up next to Mama and then mean old Uncle Goat came to scare them away:
The babies then decided they were hungry, and it was a much rougher process than I would have imagined. They reach up under there and whack Mama pretty hard on the teats (yes, I said teats) then both get down to business. It was a little bit scary!
They are also raising turkeys… who are way more adorable and friendly than baby chickens!
Well, I was planning on posting a review of my Apple watch, but sadly, I have some bad news to share. Today we lost our first chicken, Stretch. I’m not sure exactly what got her, but something made it into the orchard and killed her. I’m sad because she was one of my favorites from the start – named Stretch because as a chick she was always craning her neck to check out her surroundings and loved to be held.
I went to put the chickens to bed this evening and noticed Bruce (the rooster) was sitting in the doorway of the hen house making a lot of noise – he wouldn’t let the rest of the girls out.
I decided to bury her – even with pets it just seems like the right thing to do. Our ground is ridiculously hard right now, but it felt good to take out some of the sad on the dirt. She’s in a nice little spot near some rosemary.
I’ve been waiting a while to get my hands on these… pictures of baby Sue being born!!! Warning that some of these pictures may be considered a little graphic for some! I actually squealed when I started scrolling through them! He looks like a very tiny version of my now big boy!!!
Baby Sue (with sac)Mama Banshee Checking Him OutMama Telling Him To Stand UpA Little Help Standing UpA Little Wobbly!FRECKLES!Got That Standing Thing Down!
My husband is learning faster and faster that I’ve got a big soft spot when it comes to animals. Our count is now two dogs, two cats, nine chickens, two parakeets, one horse, and a handful of fish.
Through a series of fortuitous (for me, at least) circumstances, Brady came into our lives. He most definitely chose me… basically hopped into my car at the barn and never looked back. He’s amazing… loves to romp around, but completely submissive to Shadow (who is very much the alpha of our house). He is four years old, is great with just about any dog, kids, and even small animals. He likes to chase the chickens and the cats (he’s treed Felix twice and chased Mask up the banister), but doesn’t hurt them. He is well mannered (need to work on that recall!), loves to swim, and is pretty good with the horses at the barn. Ok, maybe not pretty good… he’s very trusting and walks where he shouldn’t… the pony stepped on him the other day and he almost got kicked by a pissed off mare, but he’ll learn. He also got himself skunked the other day… once again, need to work on the recall.
He’s a really good traveler too… he goes with me to the barn and went out to a couple different ranches the other day as we helped clean up after and take care of some of the evacuated horses. If the fires clear up and we’re able, he’ll head out with me to the cabin this weekend for the 2015 Cowgirl Posse trip. I love having a pup that can go everywhere with me!
Meet Brady!
Shadow is still getting settled with having a “little” brother (Brady outweighs him by 10 pounds). For the most part, they get along really well… Shadow has been an only dog for 10 years now and this integration has gone way better than I thought it would. They even unite to bark at the UPS guy:
Two Buddies
I’m so happy to be a two dog family now! Life is good!
Well, at 15 weeks of age, one of my hens has undergone a transformation. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Bruce (formerly known as Legs):
Bruce (formerly known as Legs)
How do I know for sure?
I’m not entirely certain what I’m going to do about it… I definitely know I can’t kill him. And I don’t want to get rid of him (I’m attached!). I guess we just have a rooster. I need to read up a bit more to find out what the implications of that will be…
It’s been a while since I’ve updated the world on my chickens. I’m happy to report that all nine are doing well and growing up fast! I’m also happy to report that to date, I think they’re all still girls. There was one that I was a little bit worried about (Legs), but it turns out that she’s just an early bloomer.
Since I last posted, I made a critical decision… my chickens are going to free range during the day. So, when I open the door in the morning, they’re allowed out of the coop, out of the run, and into the larger orchard. I suppose it’s not complete free ranging since they still have a fence, but there’s probably half an acre for them to run around on. Sometimes they decide to hang out under the coop in the shade, sometimes they go back in. Other times they take dust baths under my rose bushes. I love seeing them run around all day and now they’ve even started approaching me when I take them treats!
I took my camera out to get some “chickens in the wild” pictures the other day… here are the ladies now!
A while back my mom and I took advantage of a Groupon to take a falconry lesson. We had a blast and for my parents’ birthday, my mom decided to take my dad. I wanted to go again, but due to our crazy busy lives, we didn’t get around to it until this weekend.
Falconry (for those of you wondering) is hunting with a trained bird of prey. It dates way back to 2000 BC and was super popular in medieval Europe.
We headed out to West Coast Falconry, in Marysville, bright an early. As with the first lesson we took, it was a blast. Jana and Shawna were our instructors and provide just the right mix of educational information and fun. They taught us the basics and then everyone had the opportunity to call and send the bird.
Dad Calling DiegoDon Diego Alejandro Santiago Saragossa Inigo Montoya Del Gato
After that, they taught us a little more about how you actually train a bird of prey… after all, if I took my cute little budgies outside right now, I doubt I’d ever see them again. There’s definitely a lot that goes into training, including focusing on the birds natural instinct and prey drive. The whole process really is fascinating, and at the end we got to pose with the birds:
Me & Diego
If you’re at all interested in learning more about falconry or taking your family out for a fun event (the basic class is only about an hour long), I definitely recommend West Coast Falconry!
On Thursday I took the day off work to head over to the stables to work for the day. My trainer had mentioned when I first started riding that if I ever had a day free, I could come learn the ropes. Thursday happened to be perfect as the farrier (the guy who puts the shoes on) was there. He offered to do Sue first so that I could watch, which I gratefully accepted. I asked if I could bother him with questions while he went (I’m sure he regretted his decision over the course of the next 30 minutes) and I learned a ton. I had no idea what a fine art horse shoeing is… it’s one of the most important parts of the horse and it goes way beyond just nailing a shoe on. He also trims the hoof (think if it like trimming your fingernails), but it has to be done at the right angle, often enough, etc. He then has to fit the shoe to the hoof (that’s where the loud metal-on-metal banging happens) and nails it on (nailing it in the wrong place is called “hot nailing” and results in a swift kick!). It was quite the process and was amazing to watch him work!
Shoe Coming OffHoof Trimming
Isn’t that a beautiful horse butt? Sadly, I have no more pictures after the farrier – I was too busy having fun!
After Sue’s shoes were done, my trainer showed me how to muck out stalls. I know it sounds completely unglamorous, but there’s something to be said for taking care of these amazing animals, especially in the morning when they’re quiet and eating. It took me a lot longer than it would her (who knew there’s a fine art to picking up poop?), but I got the job done.
All of that raking and shoveling was exhausting, but then came the best part of the day – the riding. I took a lesson on Sue, with another rider from the barn riding her horse, Strider. My horse is a lot smaller than Strider and has much shorter legs, ergo a shorter gait. I’m constantly working with him to extend his trot and lope. My trainer had a fun idea… for me and Sue to chase Strider. It was so much fun just racing around the arena like little kids.
After lunch we came back to the ranch and I rode a beautiful little Arabian mare. She was much more sensitive than Sue, which forced me to work a little harder on my horsemanship. She had a beautiful lope – it was great experience! When I was done on here, my trainer put me on the ranch’s stallion, Charlie. Let me tell you, it was terrifying. He was all muscle and every time we came around the side of the arena that housed the mares, he would stop and whinny at them… with his whole body. It was sort of this guttural noise and shaking. Thankfully, my trainer was there to talk me through riding him (can’t show him any doubt or hesitation) and I was able to stay in control. He is a beautiful animal that once he knew I was boss was fantastic to ride – all muscle and power!
We ended the day with some more stall cleaning and the evening feeding. It’s fun to be the horses favorite at that point… everyone is happy to see the feed cart! I came home around 7pm Thursday night wanting nothing more than an ice-cold shower, a big dinner, and some time on the sofa. It was an absolutely amazing day!
Today I headed over to the barn after work to spend some time with Sue. We’ve been working really hard in our lessons, so during the week when it’s hot after work I’m trying to spend some time bonding with him. Sometimes that involves taking him out of his stall and just walking him around the ranch. Sometimes, like today, it’s just petting him and singing to him (the horses listen to country music all day). And, of course, treats. Lots of treats.
He’s still very young and very curious, so a lot of the time it’s hard to get good pictures. He loves to sniff and nudge me to see if I’ve got any treats on me. I actually got him to stand still for a bit so I could give him kisses. That nose is indescribable… ridiculously soft!
Velvety Kisses
Here’s an example of his mischievous side… I keep seeing all of these great pictures on Pinterest of people snuggled up with their horses, the horse looking at the camera with soft eyes. I, on the other hand, get the show stealing horse… “Look at ME!”.
Sue, The Star of the Show
But seriously, he makes me laugh, even when he’s being a hooligan. I took a zillion pictures, including ones of him nudging me and trying to dig through my pockets. This picture takes the cake and might be one of my favorites of him:
HAYYYY!
Very soon I plan on giving him a good bath and taking him out to one of the pastures for a photo shoot. He’s super dusty and dirty right now out of necessity… it’s fly season and every ounce of dirt helps keep them away! I brushed his tail out the other day and it’s glorious… I need to get some good pictures! Happy Friday everyone!
The past week was the annual Blankenheim Newport Vacation. We co-own a boat with my brother- and sister-in-law, and have started a tradition of spending a week or so in Newport Beach each summer (my husband and his brother went to college down there and lived on Newport Beach).
I headed into the trip with a heck of a head cold… because that’s how I roll. The very first day, the guys went out fishing, but the girls/kids stayed on shore. I did a bit of napping and then hit the beach. My niece Katie is a serious beach girl… the two of us probably spent more time in the water than we did on land! The hotel we stay at is fantastic – one of the perks is they loan you boogie boards and beach stuff, so you have tons of options. We have become expert boogie boarders… I have the sunburn to prove it!
Then main goal the boys had this trip was to catch a shark. I must say, they were (mostly) well prepared. They found the spots the sharks were at (saw them with my own eyes), they had the right bait (caught my share of mackerel), and they had the right equipment… sort of. They were definitely catching them (mostly thresher sharks, which scare the crap out of me), but ran out of the metal leaders. This is a very important thing because threshers use their gigantic tails to slap at their prey – the fishing line in this case.
On our last full day there, we got up early (well, at the same time we did every other day – 4:30am so that we could get on the water) and headed over to Catalina Island. It was a beautiful boat ride over… we saw all sorts of cool marine life – flying fish, dolphins, seals, sharks (mako sharks, we think), and mola (very cool, prehistoric looking creatures). My favorite part of the journey over was the dolphins. I am not exaggerating when I say there were probably hundreds of dolphins swimming around our boat. We found a pod that was feeding, so there was much breaching of the water. They chased our boat, played in our wake, and lead the way. It was absolutely breath-taking to see. I took pictures, but they don’t come close to capturing how amazing it was to be there.
Dolphins
Once we got to the island, we got serious about fishing. I caught the biggest fish I’d ever caught in my life… a roughly 15 pound yellowtail. I have not done a ton of ocean fishing, and when I have, I haven’t caught anything really big. This one was amazing… I was letting my line out when I suddenly felt the reel start to go faster. I clicked over and the pole practically bent in half. It took 5-10 minutes for me to reel it in, with Mike and Charlie coaching me/moving things around on the boat as I went. It was hilarious to watch the two of them try to buckle the pole holder on me while I kept reeling. I even baited my own hook!
My Yellowtail
Yup – I definitely outfished the boys that day. We caught a ton of calico bass (seriously, like 50+). Mike got a really nice one:
Mike & His Bass
I’m sad to see this week’s vacation come to an end… it was so nice to spend time with my hubby and family! Tomorrow it’s back to the grind… gotta work hard to play hard! Stay tuned for posts on the rest of the week – including the Western States Horse Expo!
Down The Road I Go 