Hey Hay Hey

Today we assisted or at least tried to assist at the Skoog Farm. The five of us unloaded 132 bales of hay. While we waited for the hay to arrive we helped pitch manure from the pastures. I had to laugh because it occured to me "I deal with a lot of political horse xxxx for a living, I may as well pick up the real thing on the weekend". At any rate, we had fun and appreciate the experience. We later went to visit Winnie in the pasture where she is boarded. Usually Sunday I take a lesson, but the schedule didn't allow this week. Winnie could not understand why I was not taking her from the pasture. She followed me around and stood at the gate, so we played chase the ball instead. I kick a ball and she runs after it, jumps it, kicks it etc. Sometimes another horse will join, but the same two are always fearful. The old girl was feeling young today.

Come on, Give me a Kiss

Ethan has a new friend, Phoebe. Phoebe belongs to the Skoog Farm (you've seen blog posts of us riding Winnie at their farm). Ethan is learning that if he sits still, Phoebe will come to him. Both kids think the Skoog Farm is a pretty cool place to be. Now Mr. and Mrs. Skoog on the other hand, welllllllll?????? Maybe not so much. Quiet and orderly life is to be cherrished.

"You Should Be In Pictures"

Lillie May's first hair cut. She is quite the mommies girl. We have both ends of the spectrum when it come to our four legged family members. One weighing almost 1,200 pounds, the other not quite 4 pounds.

Horsey Pedicure

October 13, Columbus Day break, Sherry Pennanen of Better Barefoot Farrier came for her monthly visit to Winnie. Sherry has made a wonderful difference in Win. She is much more balanced now, less joint noise and warms up much quicker. After just three sessions Sherry has accomplished the goal to straighten Winnie's front legs. She was a bit pigeon toed. Sherry likes Winnie because she behaves so well. She anticipates when Sherry wants her hoof on the stool and when to stand etc, and does it most of the time on her own. This was the first time Justine was not in school when the farrier was there. Sherry is alos excellent at teaching us about what she is doing and why, and seems to appreciate our interest. Often a horse will show signs of soreness for a few days, but Win was quick to show off how good her new feet felt and maintained "show off mode" all week. Thanks Sherry, you helped shave a few years of age off the old girl.

On The Road Again

We tried to get some on the move pics. Then on the way home we stopped by Mt. Olivet Cemetary in Albion. We found tombstones dating back as far as 1809 (time of death). It's amazing how they stepped the landscaping. The place is huge and you have to be a mountain goat to get around. At the highest point is a monument you can take a long spiral staircase to view Lake Ontario 14 miles away.

What the......?

Have we gone back in time or ridden to Europe? To our surprise we came over a hil and around a curve and surprise. It took about 15 min to get the sheep off the road so cars could pass. A farmer came a long in a truck and knew the trick to get them moving. He had some sage advice for us weekend bikers "don't let them sheep pull the wool over your eyes". When riding with Danny you never know where you'll end up or what you'll see, but there are three guarantees..... You'll enjoy it, you'll go where you've never been and a quick one hour ride will always be 4 or 5 if the weather holds out. We bought some crackers, cheese, spice meets and fruit for some fine dining after we stopped to see Attica Prison. Us guys got nervous and Trina was deciding whether to check us in or get a date. Then it was an ice cream stop in Medina, another Rick and Danny tradition.

Lets Ride

Fall brings less bugs, crisp comfortable temperatures and vibrant colors. Add a few good riding friends, a smooth touring bike and you get a great way to spend a day. One of the few times Trina and I got a sitter for the kids and motorcycle mama and set out to enjoy the country. The leaves were not quite to peak. With Trina riding on the back she was able to get some "while riding shots". We headed south around all back roads to Batavia, Corfu, Attica, Pembrok, Indian Falls, Medina, Albion and back to Brockport.