Horses are Heavenly!

    SO happy I was able to take Kahlua out for a quick ride today, before the rain comes this week. She was happy to get out, and she got a little frisky when we hit this one spot she likes to speed up. I held her back, & she did a little tossing around (I think she even gave a little buck). She's so easy to sit, though, and I calmed her down. Hard to believe she's an old horse, sometimes! This photo is from the other day, on my iPhone, so the quality isn't the best. I LOVE that I can just go for a ride any time; it is such a great feeling! There is such a great bond you develop with your horse...

   This is looking up towards our house. Speaking of which, the hub has done a marvelous job with the Christmas lights this year. Best display yet! You can see our deck lights from Cuddy Valley Rd., but the front is just beautiful!

   This is from the other day, when we made a complete circuit from Pinon Pines to Darling Rd., & returned through the back. I'm always looking for big rocks or sharp limbs that might cause an injury. There are still a ton of broken limbs from that big storm in March of 2011.

CALM, & Rainbow

   Last weekend, the monkey and I went to CALM (California Living Museum). This was the best view we have ever had of the mountain lions! You can see the other one in the top right corner.

   Another great close-up...

   This is a nice shot of a resting bobcat, but the others were having a ball running around...

   A very kind docent gave us a close encounter with a kestrel.

   This rainbow kept appearing in the same spot for over an hour. It was the lowest rainbow I have ever seen!

Anniversary & Snow!

The hub brought me some beautiful flowers for our anniversary last Friday! So pretty, & they still are looking & smelling great (gotta love those stargazer lilies).

Speaking of snow, we had a little Thursday night. It was so cold all weekend, the tiny amount of snow took all weekend before it melted.

This snow was still on our deck Sunday. Brrr!!

This is the monkey with one of his creations...he has such a fantastic imagination!!

Halloween Fun

   I must admit, my monkey is quite the handsome lad! We had fun trick-or-treating in Pinon Pines. Look at these pumpkins; this is the harvest from the pumpkins that sprouted from my compost!

   The hub carved all of these jack o'lanterns. He has become a talented artist! Poor guy; yesterday was his birthday, & we really didn't celebrate. We will tomorrow, though! He's a pretty great guy; he helped me saddle the horsey, & I took a very nice ride. The farrier came last week, & gave us fantastic advice...

Kahlua!

Not THAT Kahlua!  My friend & neighbor, L., has a house with a stable. Wellllll....we were just given a sweet horse named Kahlua! It was a lot of work getting her pen & stall ready, but she came home to us yesterday! She is a sweetie pie, and very affectionate. With two of us sharing her, the cost & work load will be minimal. This is our sweet girl after I rode her for the very first time today...Some women dream of diamonds. My lifelong dream has been to have a horse...Sigh!!

At Last, a Fall Update

   I have been so super-busy, so here is a very LATE update! This is one of our pumpkins from our first successful garden.

    This is our largest pumpkin; this photo was taken about a week or two ago; it is now almost completely orange.

   Our latest harvest of spaghetti squash and tomatoes! I have the tomatoes in my oven drying, drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with salt (so yum!).

   The monkey had fun helping pick tomatoes.

    Speaking of picking, the monkey and I barely made the cutoff for this year's Ryan Sun peaches at M&M peach ranch two weeks ago! Phew! Hope to get some Last Chance peaches next weekend...

   In the culinary department, I have discovered the joys of basil lemonade. You make regular lemonade (heating the sugar in water to form a simple syrup is essential), but you blend some fresh basil leaves with some of the lemonade until it is pulverized into tiny spots of green. Mix with the rest of the lemonade, and you have a heavenly concoction!

   I have been super busy with myriad tasks and commitments (MCCOC, my article/storytime/craft, etc). I am especially loving getting my class in order (kids AND room!), and getting the curriculum together. I am already so proud of the children, especially in their 'school' behavior. That is essential to have in order so that learning can proceed. We have begun centers, and this week I will send home my first homework (they were finishing the September work from my colleague).

   I even got to go on a trail ride two weeks ago, and saw a bear on my commute home a week ago. Woo hoo! I just need to stop injuring myself (fell on our stairs yesterday and JAMMED two fingers; they look hideous...Will have more photos to share.

My New Work Commute

   This is what the beginning of my commute home from Maricopa will be like (taking the back route), if the school board approves me as their newest kindergarten teacher tomorrow. This is looking toward the school from the 166 west. My class will be in thea building behind the tree (much prettier in person). I live in the mountains you see behind that...

 

    I found out about a shortcut yesterday that veers to the left somewhere near here...I took it yesterday & today...

    This is JUST after I turned onto Cerro Noroeste...

   Lovely scenery along Cerro Noroeste

 Looking towards Quatal Canyon (other side of the green mountain) & south towards Ojai...

    That curve at the top is looking east at the backside of "Apache Saddle." If you see that brown horizontal line on the mountain at the right, that is the road up to Mt. Able. The monkey's school is off that road, but to the left.

Getting closer to Apache Saddle...

   ...and here is the Apache Saddle Fire Station on the right; the turnoff for the monkey's school is just ahead.

   I skipped taking photos of PMC, since I have already posted photos of that. This is just after you turn east at the "Y," to go east into Cuddy Valley.

   This is a little further down, just about at the spot where the San Andreas fault crosses the road.

   This is just a few minutes from home, and the lovely Cuddy Valley! How many people get to have such a beautiful drive home from work, and come home to this??