Tag Archives: nature

Busy Doing Nothing

You might realize that having two puppies keeps one so busy that there is no time to sit down and write a blog?? Or indeed to sit down and do any stupid things like paying bills, updating the books and other stuff that is no fun at any time, but even less so when two whining little voices lure you out to do Doggy Fun Stuff.

[caption id=”attachment_1000″ align=”alignright”… Continue reading

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That’s the Stuff That a Good Life is Made Of

I don‘t know where the time goes – I hardly write one blog, but another is overdue. I swear I don’t know how I ever had the time to run Grapevine! And here it is, time for another spring round up starting Monday, and it seems to me that it was only yesterday that we finished the last one. … Continue reading

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Don’t Lose the Purse!

Apparently the less you have to do, the faster the time passes, although I doubt that someone languishing in a prison would feel the same…. Perhaps it’s because my “less to do” is so singularly attractive, after all the years of cramming two week’s activities into one? Whichever way it is, this swift passage of time can be a bit alarming – and it’s not only I who feels this… Continue reading

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Long Winter Nights

You know how you should never congratulate yourself on anything?? And remember how I was crowing about our warm winter? Well, take a look . . .

Please click on the images below to see the full size version.

On Danny’s days here, I help him with the feeding, which is a pretty light job, as it consists of driving the Polaris while he… Continue reading

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Sarah the Pig, Some Orphaned Calves and Hank the Horse

So – I could make a lot of enemies, and begin this by saying “Hello from sunny, warm Arizona”!

Or I could be pessimistic and talk about global warming, which seems to be more than a myth this year – here it is December, and it still hasn’t frozen. The temperatures are down to the high thirties or low forties – unheard of, this time of year!! The leaves… Continue reading

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What a lovely world we live in, when we can share it with other creatures!

When you live on a ranch there is certainly ample opportunity to observe animals and birds in their natural habitat!! I was thinking that only today while watching my collection of birds competing for the daily ration of bird seed outside my window. Some time back it had occurred to me that my living room window was an ideal place for several bird feeders, and so, in quick succession, a… Continue reading

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Having Pets is About as Stressful as Having Kids

Horsemanship Clinic

Some time back I got to chatting with some of our UK guests and we talked about how awkward it can be to transition from English riding to the Western. As one who had begun my riding life in the so called English style, then transitioned to the Australian saddle, and then to the Western, I… Continue reading

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Friendship Does Not Wither

A trustworthy horse can provide invaluable therapy for people caught up in a hectic pace. Riding can help a person shed stress and stop the mental conversations that cause it. Few experiences equal a trail ride in the fresh air, especially if there is gorgeous scenery.… There is nothing quite like a rein-swinging walk to lull a person back into natural rhythms; nothing like a brisk trot with its metronome-like… Continue reading

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Animals With Reason

Those of you who have recently seen our home page will have seen the YouTube segment on the ITV1 segment of Martin Clunes’ most recent series about the relationship of man and horse. The segment was made here some months ago, and I remember it as a great few days spent with truly charming people. Martin, though a big star, was the easiest person to be with, and the whole… Continue reading

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Rekindle the Sensations of Freedom

The great annual happening, the monsoons, are always eagerly anticipated here in the high desert, and the other day Danny launched once again into the annual conversation we all like to have at this time of the year, the discussion of thunder in the distance and the glimpse of faraway lightning, way down in Mexico. This conversation spans the centuries – I bet that the ancient people, who lived here all those years ago, were even more obsessed with weather than we are now – imagine that not only was there no faucet to turn on, but there was no well to get the water from, and, if it didn’t rain and fill the lakes and little water holes, you were pretty well done. Continue reading

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