This morning we rode down to the farmer's market and got some overpriced lemonade. It was fun. Note our improvised lemonade holders:

Silly Tonka made faces for the camera.
Today is going to be the hottest day yet this year. Yuck. I'm going to hide in a hole. Actually, I'm thinking the hated shopping trip to the mall might be a good thing today. Air conditioning!

The Mustang Gang, El Rojo Banditos, The Goofball Brothers, The Troublemaking Trio - They got to go out into a new pasture today and they really had a good time of it.

It's been a long day. My sister got a call from her doctor today and she wasn't very optimistic, which isn't like her. She wanted to make sure my sister is doing everything she can to get in for the breast biopsy ASAP. Kind of scary. So she got it all taken care of, and has an appointment for Friday. Which is also kind of scary, considering it usually takes a month to get in. Must mean they are concerned. We looked up information online today, and it looks like there is anywhere from a 15% to a 50% chance this will be cancer. Lots of different figures on different articles. But the good news is that this type of cancer has a 99% survival rate. So no matter what, things should turn out okay.

Another thing bringing me down lately is the health of my grandparents. My grandma is in the hospital with a bad infection they can't seem to pinpoint and my grandpa is talking as if he's not going to be around much longer. We have a family reunion coming up and he says this is the last one he'll be going to. We're going to do some fishing and have some good times. He's always been so very strong and able, and he's such a wonderful person. The last few years it's been hard to watch his health begin to fade. My grandma has been having trouble for a while with various health issues, but she's always full of piss and vinegar and up for a laugh. Last time I saw her she looked like hell and was having a rough time of it, but she still had that great spirit shining through every now and then. I hope she pulls out of this and has some humdingers to tell us next time we see her. I wish they could always be with us.

My other grandma is also talking of making her last road trip, but having a hard time committing. She's in a lot of pain and has a hard time getting around, so a trip will be difficult for her. I hope she can make it over here. I think she'd enjoy being on a farm again like she was when she grew up. She's been telling me lots of stories from her childhood and her life with my grandpa who died when I was a teenager. So many bright memories.
Speaking of old folks, I got the two old horses out for a while today. Soxy needed a pedicure and I let Coda out to be a yard horse while I worked on that. He had the run of the whole place, lots of glorious grazing to be had, but when I came inside for a few minutes I looked out to see him standing loyally next to his girl. He's such a sweetheart.
Goldie brought her peeps out a bit today, within safe proximity of the henhouse. I decided not to lock them in the coop this time. Last time she had chicks one found a way out and became a cat snack. I imagine Goldie frantically watching, locked inside, unable to do anything about it. This time hopefully they'll do fine with her hovering over them. So far so good.
I let the turkeys out for the first time today. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but we had a neighbor dog come on the property not long ago and I didn't want to let them out while I wasn't around to watch them. This afternoon I finally had that chance. They loved it. Lots and lots of greens to eat. They're such innocent, goofy creatures. I can't see how anyone could dislike turkeys. They're just neat. I wish I could keep them for pets.
Tonka and I went for a short ride tonight and we tried our hand at turkey herding. He wasn't too sure about it. Turkeys are pretty strange, after all. He was very curious but also cautious. Which was better than Scout's reaction when he saw them. He was all snorts, running around the pasture with his tail in the air.

Something had Cisco terrified tonight. And I saw a deer running for dear life on the other side of the highway. A little later I saw something else over there. Could have been a deer, could have been a cougar. Didn't seem big enough to be a deer, but the light was failing and I can't be sure. Would a cougar travel in the open on a hillside right near a highway? Or do they stay under cover? I'm probably imagining things, it was probably just another deer. But with Cisco's total terror (he's normally a steady guy) and the running deer, it makes me wonder.

Tonka went to the dentist today and would you believe I didn't take one single picture? There were lots of great photo ops too, with his lip hanging and tongue sticking out the side.

He was pretty nervous today for some reason. Kinda antsy on his feet. Probably knew something special was up. He took a second to check out the ramp that led to the stocks in the dentist's special trailer, but then he went in and it wasn't long before he had a dose of sedative to make him right at home. It wasn't enough sedative, and they kept saying they'd give him more if they needed it, but he just went along with things and they never did have to top him off. They were very impressed with him. I love it when people go on about what a nice horse I have. *big grin* The doc has a client who competed in the NW Mustang Makeover, and her very nice assistant had been at the makeover to watch Keith Danielson, who trains her horses. It was nice to have something in common.

Tonka has a "totally normal mouth" with no reason for bit discomfort, other than that he obviously doesn't like a bit. His canines are huge for his age, normally they're just coming in about now. Kinda odd, but all the other teeth erupted right on schedule so I'm not at all worried that he's not the age I thought he was.

She leveled out and rounded his molars, which really didn't need a whole lot of work, gave him a bit seat, and then "reduced" his canines to a nice rounded nub. No more sharp edges on that broken one.

Really it was pretty uneventful, which is always nice.

When we got home I went to check on our new arrivals (more on that in a moment) and spotted this "Peeping Beauty" watching from the top of the hill. She just stared and stared while I took pictures. What a pretty doe.

On to the new arrivals - I thought Goldie's eggs were supposed to hatch a week ago so I gave up on them, but it turns out I was wrong! I heard frantic peeping yesterday, and went in to discover two little peepers. They're cute, if not very interestingly colored at this point... Can't wait to see what we end up with! (The eggs came from my sister's mixed flock.)

Look at those adorable little fluff-butts!
I'm off to put the drowsy boy back out to pasture, assuming he's awake enough. Have a great day!

The BLM internet adoption Starts soon. I would adopt one of these if I could:

This gelding is noted as calm, is from Coyote Lakes, and is 14.3 as a 3 year old. If he's anything like Tonka, he's not done growing, but even if he were 14.3 is good enough for me. And I love his roman nose. He is #8602 in Burns.

I have named this young gelding Mini-Tonka. I love him! The only thing I don't like is his age, since he's only a yearling. That's just a prejudice on my part, no reason not to adopt. He's also from Coyote Lakes, and is 14 hands already. They say "Very calm personality; NICE colt." If he's anything like Tonka, that thin neck will eventually fill out. He's #8771 in Burns.



Granted, I have only looked at the Burns horses, and not even all of them. I'm sure there are some gorgeous horses at Palomino Valley, there always are. There are many to choose from. Take a look and see what you like. Even if you can't adopt, it's fun to browse and dream.

Okay, I came back and had to add these two. Sheepshead #8856 is really nice looking:

And who could resist this sweet face? She's Coyote Lakes #8654

Perhaps we need one as a pack horse? Maybe? John???
(Just kidding. But I can't wait to see how the bidding goes.)

Thanks everyone for your concern. I made the trip and got back in time to be at the hospital while the tests were being run. I guess I can talk about it now since it is real and isn't necessarily anything. My sister discovered a suspicious mass, which turns out not to be breast cancer, just fibrous tissue. Something else there caught their eye though, and may be a sign of impending cancer, so there will be more tests. Scary stuff. It could be a while before anything is known, with how long it takes to get in for any procedures up in Spokane. This sure scares the crap out of all of us.

In horsey news, I've made Tonka a dental appointment for Tuesday. So his sharp broken canines will get fixed, and if there are any other issues they will be addressed. I can't wait! I love routine vet work (when I can afford it).

That's about all I have for now. I'm beat.

It turns out I won't be going on the trip to the Longview adoption. Something much more important has come up at home. So I'll be making a lightning fast trip to Bellevue and back to drop my friend's daughter back with her parents, but no trip to the adoption. I need to try to be back home by noon on Friday. I don't want to go into details, somehow talking about it seems like bad luck or maybe makes the problem real... but someone in my family is having a scary health situation. A mustang adoption where I'm not even looking to adopt just doesn't take precedence. Tracey from Mustang Diaries will still be going. Hopefully she'll post info and pictures for us.