So, I would like to share with you the top twenty things (in no particular order) that I'm lovin' right now, figuring that this should pretty much cover most of my backlogged blog post ideas. Then, the slate will be clean, my mind will be clear and I will be at peace again. For now. ;)
20. I'm lovin' this heat wave we're having in Washington!! I know, I know...it's a little much for us Washington folk who are used to being spoiled by a very temperate summer climate. However, as you're wiping the sweat from your brow walking to your mailbox, I challenge you to remember that our six month winter will be here before we know it and we will be longing for these hot summer days! I know I will be!
19. I'm lovin' the evening breezes that lightly blow past me as I'm outside taking care of my last few chores. They carry on them the scent of horse poo and sweet peas and they are a welcome friend at the end of a sweltering day.
18. I'm lovin' fresh strawberries from the garden and I'm looking forward to the ripening of our blueberries and blackberries.
17. I'm loving' the fact that I got to enjoy some quality summer time with Kuntry Boy at the beach last week! Even if it was just one day, this type of trip is usually not possible 'till Octoberish.
Not that the time of year makes much difference when you're talking Washington beaches! July or October, it's probably gonna be grey, maybe a little drizzly, and a lot chilly! :) But we did get some sun too! I'm lovin' the fact that I got to cruise around on the back of a moped with him and momentarily forget about the fact that there's still another month or so before he's home again!
I love that we got to have a campfire on the beach and that he seemed to really enjoy being able to kick back and relax on a fun summer day. This time of year, he usually only gets one day off about every thirty or forty days.
I loved taking these pictures of him and his friend (he and his friend?) that we went with...his friend's wife & I were cracking up...don't these pictures look so romantic?!
The mopeds parked side by side, the dudes gazing over the water contemplating life...so picturesque. He'd kick my butt if he knew I was posting these, so let's just keep this between us, shall we? ;)
16. I'm lovin' that my garden is starting to take off after a late, late planting this year. I love cutting fresh snapdragons and herbs to bring inside.
I'm looking forward to blooming sunflowers and zinnias.
I love my little garden kitty that accompanies (and sometimes annoys) me as I'm watering and weeding. Why do cats always have to park themselves in the middle of what you're doing?!
15. I'm lovin' that my grass experiment is actually working and I'm starting to get a (somewhat) lush front lawn!
I've been installing it one wheelbarrow at a time, mixing topsoil, coconut fiber, organic compost, dolomite lime, grass seed, and water then spreading it out, molding the edge to the contours of our flower gardens. I still have lots of work to do, but it's coming along!
14. I'm lovin' my two new "summer bags". I got the green one at the Gap on a super sale and it worked great as a beach bag!
The bright one I got from a very good friend who unfortunately lives way too far away from me. She sent this to me on my birthday and I absolutely love it. It's called a Bagolita...I love the uniqueness of these bags!
13. I'm lovin' easy, light summer meals. I love snipping fresh dill from the garden and broiling up some salmon.
I love cheese tortellinis with basil, garlic, EVOO, lemon juice, and cheese. Sometimes I top 'em with fresh shrimp or scallops. P.S. Yes, Patches, that is bag cheese. I'm so ashamed.
I love my staple summer dinner of an "avocado omelet taco".
Using eggs in a carton (Best of the Egg by Lucerne), I fry myself up an "egg tortilla", sprinkle on some salt and pepper, top with Italian cheese (again, from a bag) and then fold over a mix of cubed avocado and chopped onion and tomato. Super quick and good for me! Love it! I also love my summer dessert of plain yogurt topped with honey from my mom's beehives. So good!
12. I'm lovin' grooming my smooth summer horsey.
I'm especially lovin' a new skin treatment I got for him called Calm Coat. This stuff smells SO good and has all sorts of healing benefits. I recently read about mixing it with Vaseline and Campo Phenique for a bug bite salve/repellent. Perfect to rub on Caspian's belly with a sponge, since he's a buger about fly spray. 
Although, I'd prefer not to use petroleum, so I'm trying to think of something else similar that I can mix it with. Any suggestions? Lanolin? Five O'Clock Somewhere? Any expert advice?11. I'm lovin' the surcingle and long lines I got for training. Speaking of training, I'm really lovin' our trainer. She's so patient, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. She's super helpful and above everything, she's extremely generous. One session, she brought out a bunch of her saddles to help me determine what type of saddle will be the best fit for Caspian. Last session, she brought me five of her own books to read to reinforce what we've been learning.
10. I'm lovin' Dover's Summer Sale catalog, from which I just ordered two new pairs of breeches and a pair of super cool boot socks. I swear I did need these, 'cause I only had one pair of junky consignment breeches. I need to stop looking at the catalog now, though, because I probably don't need a pair in every color (including plaid). Nor do I need a pair of half-chaps, a new helmet, and multiple pairs of gloves. Yet. ;)
9. I'm lovin' the sweet smell of sun baked local hay permeating the still summer air. I love driving down our highway with my windows down and filling my lungs with it. If I could bottle that smell, I'd put it in one of those reed diffusers! :)
8. I'm lovin' the fact that local farmland that two years ago would have been snatched up by a developer is now being farmed again. There's a new farm that's started right down the road from me that's growing organic produce. I love passing by the workers each morning and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that their venture will be successful.
7. I'm lovin' living in a small town. I've really come alive living in the country again. It suits me perfectly. I love all the work that goes with it, even if it can be overwhelming at times. I love that I'm on a first name basis at the hardware store and the post office. I love that I have awesome neighbors that watch over me and our house and whom I can trust to take excellent care of my horse when I'm out of town.
6. I'm lovin' Pioneer Woman's new Tasty Kitchen website. She's really outdone herself now!
5. I'm lovin' my new pair of gardening clogs. They're SUPER dorky, but I don't get a funky sock line when I wear them.
Plus, they match the tank top that I wear under my denim shorts overalls. Now is this Kuntry Chic or what?!
4. I'm lovin' the snakes that slither through the tall grass as I walk up our hill to water our trees. Seriously. I've made my peace with them. Only because they're not poisonous. ;)
3. I'm lovin' the fact that the Jenny Doe has been getting a lot of rest lately. I don't love that it's because my pastures are fried, but I'm not a huge fan of mowing. Well, I actually don't really mind it, it's pretty relaxing (unless I'm getting stuck traversing our hills) but it takes up SO MUCH TIME!
2. I'm lovin' waking up early on Sunday mornings so that I have a little time to be lazy with my crazies.
They seriously know when it's the weekend and they love to lounge around with me before starting our day. 
Dogs are so smart. It's crazy how they have their little internal clocks.
1. Last, but not least, I'm LOVIN' all my blogging buddies! You all provide me with great daily entertainment, not to mention lots of wonderful information and insights. I might not always get a chance to comment, especially if I'm doing a quick read, but I really appreciate everyone's stories and helpful tips!
Some of my most recent favorite informative posts have been:
**Kacy with her post on hoof boots. I've been contemplating what type to get Caspian and can use all the info. possible.
**One Red Horse with tips for helping to strengthen a horse's back. I've recently started some exercises with Caspian that our trainer showed me so this post was very timely! It was amazing to see her before & afters!
**Five O'Clock Somewhere with her healing salve post. Quite impressive!
Okey dokey, I think that's it! What are some of your favorite things right now? :)
Posts
Oh crapola...had the longest comment and it dissapeared whooosh!
ReplyDeleteOkay the short of it is you are soooo right on with the backlog post distress! Mee too...
I jsut looked at the time..ohmy! I told myself that I HAD TO VISIT and not post..that is all I have done...well, I did post a WW but ther is something different aobut it...maybe YOU can tell ? hummm bet no one will notice.
Okay..Be back soon....glad you liked the boot post...Renegades are my next frontier. Easyboots should be perfect for the Prince C...the "Glove" or" Edge.
Kac
b back soon
your snaps look awesome! and your kitty is like all my kitties, they just want to be the center of attention. about the cocoa fiber...have heard it is very bad for dogs. google it and see what you can find. i'm pretty sure it was cocoa fiber/mulch. glad you like those snakes, i haven't seen 'slither' since june. and i love the dover sale catalogue too! have some pages dog eared! glad you referenced to your fave posts, as i am going to read the one about the back issues for horses. blue's back is not good and there are no equine chiro's around here. finally, i love all of my bloggy buddies too and it is always great fun to learn from someone's ideas!
ReplyDeleteNOPE..you did not get it..though it IS suttle...okay really suttle..okay almost undetectable!
ReplyDeleteI am NOT on Wa in the photo of the Water!
{allhorsestuff} - That WAS subtle!! So, who's on her?? Your riding buddy?
ReplyDelete{Kritter Keeper} - I think that what you're thinking of as dangerous to doggies is actually cocoa mulch & you're SO RIGHT! Just like chocolate can be lethal, cocoa mulch is really dangerous, as it contains a really high amount of the toxin that causes problems. Although, I do imagine that the coconut fiber I'm using wouldn't be too friendly to my doggie's guts if they ingested a whole bunch of it, but they really can't get to it, especially since I'm being a stickler about them staying off the lawn as the grass seeds pop. The coconut fiber is pretty much like peat moss. Glad you brought this up though, 'cause I don't know if many people are aware of the dangers of cocoa mulch. Thanks for stopping by! :)
I'm loving that you shared so much of yourself with your blogging buddies...thanks :-)
ReplyDeletewow looks like you're having one heckuva great time... thanx for catching us up...
ReplyDeletesit down and ride
gp ... say a prayer for saturday's horse show :)
You have been really busy! Glad to see you got to get away to the beach, work in the yard, and play with your horse and dogs!
ReplyDeleteYour food looks delish!!
I hear on on the blog back log! Ugh! I've got a few rattling around in my head that I need to get out before my brain fries! lol
ReplyDeleteI'm totally loving the WA weather too! It's been so nice! Except for the horse show. I could have done without a 90 degree day when I'm in black suede chaps, boots, long sleeve shirt, felt hat and gloves, but other then that I'm not going to complain! ;)
I think I'd prefer your garden kitty to my crazy always-on-my-heels-no-matter-what aussie! lol I think I'll have me a couple garden kitties soon enough though! They already follow me around the house.
All that food looks DELISH! Mmm! I love light summer food!
The shoes (and those pics!) totally crack me up! Though I do hate flip flip tan lines...
Great post! Love it! Your yard and flowers look beautiful!!!
What a great post! So much fun stuff this summer and the weather couldn't be better! I always love hearing about your crazies because I can totally relate!
ReplyDeleteKeep on enjoying the sun, I agree that we will definitely miss it when it's gone.