Path to Success

 

Finally have the stepping stones for our front porch! Now to get the river rocks and fill it in.

Milkman and deliveries won't have to go through the grass anymore. I've watched them try to tip toe... There was no path from the road to the landing...

One of the quirks that came with the house.

No more dealing with the nasty neighbor on the other side. For what ever reason beyond my comprehension, she thought this part was her yard. Park management came out and marked the boundary lines at Christmas when she started a war over Christmas lights....

That still didn't stop her from mowing the grass and allowing her kid and his friends to walk through our yard and driveway, park bikes, poop dogs...

It's done. There is a straight line between heaven and hell now. No more BS. Management came and talked to them again the other day explaining it was our yard, and we were given the thumbs up to lay the stones.

Still have to get more weed paper and bark, but we're getting there. With the help of an amazing friend I've acquired so many fragrant plants!!

Home Sweet Home

Got to love the spring time!! 

Well it's off to the barn to load up Polaris and send him off.... I hope you have a blessed day today!

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for Stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Sweet Treats

Knowing how much Lil Star loves to play with 'balls' and 'ropes'.... 

My granddaughter went to Tractorsupply with me, as dad gave her some money to spend on her pony...

The decision took a while, but a bag of Treats and a new

Mini Jolly Ball, in Lil Star's color! Was the perfect new toy.

As you can see, converting a stall for a mini, means lowering everything.. 

Tomorrow is Polaris' last day with us. He leaves Sunday. He is going to be one stunning young man, when he grows up. We are wishing him all the best in his new ventures.... and he will be missed, prayed for and thought of often.

Oddly enough, most folks I'm told prefer geldings.... I seem to have had better experiences with the mares?

It's just going to be me and my girls from here on out.....

They are already bonded and do really well together. 

Looking forward to the days ahead.

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

We're having a Launch Party!

 Scheduled for April 5th {7:00 PM}

The box has arrived and it's time to play!

Visit the website for a sneak peek and catalog preview. If you see something you like? You don't have to wait until the 5th to order, and we can have it shipped right away as well.

Check it out here.

If you order before the end of March you can catch in on the current savings...

What a concept, play games with your kids and help them improve their learning! You just Got to love it. 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by 

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy trails.

$1.76

 Typically my savings would show up on the end of a larger receipt, after buying a cart full of groceries.

I did it this way, just to show the impact of the savings..... 

Yep, all this for $1.76!   

Years ago I was what you would call a 'coupon' shopper. Mind you, I wasn't the dedicated and obsessed one with $$$$$ coupons coming out my ears. No, I would simply make sure to clip the coupons for what we use.

 Rebates and magazine coupons added to the lot. Plus, I remembered to take them with me to the store {for many folks this itself was the challenge ~ remembering the coupons}. 

 I'm sure people hated being in line behind me. {I had 4 kids and a lot of groceries}. At the end of checking out, my savings would always amount to anywhere from $20. to   $50. And back in the day, that was a lot of money. {$20 would buy 4 happy meals and put gas in the car for a 'drive'}.

You would be surprised at just how much money you save, simply by shaving 'pennies', and 'dollars'.  Coupons and using the store savings cards {today's version of coupons}, you can actually save quite a bit. Fred Meyers has an amazing program if you spend quite a bit there, I think gas is included. Albertson's and Safeway are interconnected, so the cards work at either place, and offer savings on GAS, I've gotten almost a dollar a gallon off once, and yes, I filled the tank!. Rite Aid's card, gives you 50% off right away on many items in the store, plus you accumulate bonus points. 

Some stores offer things like $5 Friday, or Manic Monday 20% off..... Sometimes, the DAY you choose to shop can make a huge difference. Just like 'Happy Hour' at the bar. {How many make sure to show up for that discount! } Going at the right time, can be the biggest savings.

How much would you save to shave? 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Lookin Good

 My babies are shedding! That's a sure sign of spring. Now if someone would just come up with the million dollar idea on what to do with all that fur.

We need to find out if Lil Star is a Mini Horse, or a POA {Pony of America} horse. Possibly even part Shetland?  She sure is a cute lil one. Such a loving personality too. We've come along way in the last year. And she's almost ready to saddle up! 

Polaris is a GURU/APPALOOSA cross. He's getting whiter and it looks like spots! He'll be back at the rescue at the end of the month for a solid month of serious training with the trainer on site. I'm looking for someone that wants a young jumper, or other competitive horse. He's got it in him.

StarBright is gaining her weight back and the bite marks are starting to fade. She's shedding like crazy, and getting her beautiful deep chestnut color! 

It's almost warm enough for a bathe!!!! And we have a hot wash at the new barn.

We all are loving the new barn. I sleep better at night knowing that they are in a barn out of the weather at night. Where no predators can get to them. 

The view around Enumclaw is beautiful and they can even see Mt Rainier on a pretty day. The nearby trail has been fun to explore the couple times we've gotten out. Looking forward to many more adventures as the weather improves..

I hope everyone has an amazing adventure this weekend. 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Trails

Social Media vs the Phone Book

Yes, the work continues here @ the Bright side of the Barn. For those of you that noticed the tabs, yes I'm back on Facebook. Simply and strictly for business purposes. My personal life is here, the parts that I share at least. I'm not on the computer for hours at a time. I'm outside, with the horses or busy with my grandkids most of the time. That's why blogging has been a happier platform for me. 

However

It seems in today's world you need a social media presence in any and all business's . Many folks won't know what I'm talking about when I say Yellow Pages . Ya, back in the day if you wanted to find a business or a person, you dug out the ole phone book, and looked in the yellow pages.

Everyone's name and address as well as their phone number could be found in the local book. White pages were personal listings, Yellow pages were business. And if you wanted to be unlisted, you paid extra. If you wanted your business ad bigger or bolder, you paid extra....

Now the free platforms are endless and so are the chances of getting found amongst the thousands of 'others'. So the business side of life, utilizes every available tool.

I'm currently only on Blogger - with my blogs. LinkedIn - for my business' and now Facebook - for the Simply Fun business. 

Apparently, FB parties are a big hit and many folks find it's an easy way to earn free games.

We'll see......

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Trails.

Tweaking the Sites

Bright side of the Barn has been getting a new look, adding more resources and connecting to a few other blogs of interest that I follow. A lot of new stuff down towards the bottom. .. 

Also, Be sure to check out the new tabs up top. A new site for  'Schoolin' is under way! Not much yet in the blog itself, however, the links list of materials has been growing rapidly. 

It seems our world is changing and 'not going back to normal'. So, for the sake of the new normal, we all must make adjustments. 

Let's not lose our children's education in the process. There are so many ways to teach your children without 'school'. If I've said anything repeatedly, it's READ TO YOUR CHILDREN. Teach your children to read by reading to them. Teach them to understand what you/they are reading. You will be giving your child the ability to learn anything and everything their heart desires. 

READING and READING COMPREHENSION. The real keys to success. 

Another tab that might peak an interest or two, is the 'Today's Picture'. With Papa's help, we've been uploading several of the cool pictures we've taken over the years on our family adventures. I'm sitting here looking at 3 USB with different capacities, all full - of pictures.... 

Remembering the 'good ole days'.

 Something cool to consider for the 'retirement' years, is CAMP HOSTING. This is where you live in your RV, usually free rent/utilities. Sometimes additional pay, to 'host' a campground, or tourist monument. There are also several other ways to live in your RV and camp host, at Dude Ranches, Major RV parks.... The possibilities are endless. 

I have a thing for Light houses and I've spent a few years living in a variety of RV's. One of my favorite "Life" experiences, was to live at the Grays' Harbor Lighthouse, in Westport Washington. For a few weeks one spring I was there to run the gift shop and give tours - up the lighthouse to the lens room! I even met a real lighthouse keeper from Ireland, on this Amazing adventure! 135 steps up at least 10 times a day, talking all the way. { I learned a lot about lighthouses and the area }

You have to learn how to WALK - TALK - AND BREATHE at the same time.

I got over my fear of heights, 

and had to rescue a couple people who got scared ~ 

cause it's a long way down!

Life is an adventure ~ Don't be afraid to live it! 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping  by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Foaming at the Mouth

So, As a Herbalife distributor, I try my products and I have a few people try a few things. I like first hand personal opinions. 

Since Papa likes to ride his bike and Geocache, Lift Off tables were the perfect testing item.. 

So I gave him a few tablets. Each in an individual wrapped package, I presume with instructions on the side... Never read it, I knew how they work? 

In any case... and I really wish I could have been there to see it, I still chuckle thinking about it....

So Papa tells me he tried the tablets. Says the first one didn't taste so good but the second one worked great. 

What happened with the first one?

Instead of dropping it into the bottle of water, he popped it into his mouth..... Within seconds, he was foaming like a rabbited dog..

 <lmao>

Lift off Tablets are great! and easy to carry in the car, all you got to do is have a bottle of water and your set!. 

Perfect for the bike rides, trail rides, and all around road trips. 

One of the great products available to help stay healthy and hydrated.

They come in a few different flavors.

Check it out

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Working on the You Tube Channel

 A new look for spring and a few touch ups on the 'blog'. 

Here's a peek at what's getting started on YouTube. Today's adventure did not include the cameras as apparently they are waiting for SD cards? 

Meanwhile,

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Weekend Adventures

 I've been spending my evenings sorting out pictures and cleaning up USB's. Be sure to check out Today's Picture, lot of new photos going into the pot. Eventually we'll get it onto an upload each morning. Currently it's a mix of older pictures and new prints. Always something new!!! to capture. Papa and the grandson have 'camera's' for their bikes and we're heading out on the trail today. Who knows, maybe the Bright side of the Barn will start a YouTube channel. Apparently I already have one from way back when we posted a short video of Lil Star. We'll have to work on fixing it up a bit more personal. 

A renewed old hobby/habit, I recently went back to the Geocaching.com website and my old profile is gone, but still in the listing as I still have travel tags going around the world. Very impressive!!! I have to restart a new profile and my hunting records are to begin from scratch again.... Oh well. Fun is Fun, obviously it's more fun if your willing to do it again.  Come join in the hunt! Create your profile and Look for me ~ 

 WestcoastWetpaws is now 3HorseAddict. 

And new adventures are to begin. Recorded on 'camera's' this time around. Good times, coming. I can feel it. Lot of smiles and laughs.

 Reminiscing of  A summer in Canada with the 2 oldest Granddaughters when they were young and the only grandbabies.... Pictures to come!! 

So much fun and the Caches we found were super cool. 

Making memories~

For now, got to go. Driving to drop kids off and pick up one. Get the horse ready brushed, saddled, .... busy day.  

Take care my friends. 

Who knows maybe we'll meet up on a trail someday! 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Yellow~ The first color of Spring

It is finally arriving! Spring, right outside the door. Love it, can't wait to see more. The fragrance will be soon to follow. 

Jasmine is planted in the front, eventually need to get larger pots, but for now, they can get started and settle in. The vines are hopefully going to wrap up and frame out the front porch. 

Meanwhile, everyone is lounging around enjoying the warmth and sunshine... Spring... St. Patrick's Day, Daylight savings time, Easter just around the corner... It all starts now.

Next to the flowers blooming my favorite part of spring, is the warmth. No more feeling chilled to the bones. Even in Enumclaw, where the horses are. Enumclaw is a plateau at the foot of Mt Rainier, and the winds there are cold enough to freeze you in place.

Grand kids have been here the last couple nights. I love the company. 

Summer vacations coming soon! Wonder how many family reunions there is going to be this year, with the covid crap going on.? Zoom reunions? Why not, we're doing the zoom weddings and funerals.

Crazy new world we live in. At least things like spring, are consistent and we can count on what comes next.

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Spring is coming!

 I do believe we are getting closer.  

More new birds at the feeder,

Anna Hummingbird 

Blue Jay 

Chickadee 

Downy Woodpecker 

European Starling 

House Finches 

House Sparrow 

Northern Flicka 

Red Winged Blackbird 

Robin 

Rufus Hummingbird 

Spotted Towhee 

Swainsons Thrush

Bulbs springing up! 

Temperatures rising.

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Hang in There

hang in there

phrase of hang

1. INFORMAL

   remain persistent and determined in difficult circumstances.

Strange thoughts this morning... Realizing I've known Tim 30 years this month. Regardless of our relationship, he has been a part of our family. Got me thinking of ' the past 30 years' .... 

And it's been 3 years this month since "I changed my life" and the journey to 'here'.

I believe I was 11 when I first contemplated suicide. I wrote my sister a letter and she had me sent to her house. It was her attempt to help me, when sadly her husband only made things worse. {Long story}. Life was like a tumbleweed, being thrown around in the wind. 

Then I got pregnant and married. What should have been happily ever after turned out to be Friday the 13th, Part 1, 2, 3, 4, and never ending sequels, even after the divorce.

Tim entered our lives shortly after my divorce and his family only added to the horror shows for the kids and I. We all went through a lot over the last 30 years. With no one but ourselves, no family support, no ex family's support. It was us and the kids. -vs- all of them. {felt like anyway}

Everyone reached their breaking point at some point in it all. Somehow through it all, we all managed to 'hang on' and 'get through' to come around full circle - to now.

3 years ago this month. I packed my things, loaded my animals and left in my truck. Away from everyone and everything. I stayed by myself, and spent days with the horses. I was dealing with medical trauma and the results, with no one to turn to. My family wasn't really there for me. 

I wasn't really worried about the dog and cats, the family would probably fight over them. It was the horses. Everyone was already against having them and I constantly was being told to 'get rid of them'. 

Little did anyone in my family know, if it wasn't for the horses. I would have committed suicide after my Doctor's appointment. The news was that devastating.  

It was in being alone and by myself away from everyone, that I found out who truly cared and who I could trust. Final arrangements can be an over whelming experience in itself. And when your told "you should start making your arrangements". It hits hard.

The horses were a big part of the healing and getting through all the medical, {I'm not good with doctors, it's never been a popular place for me}. The struggle to find the right mix of medicine and an extremely good therapist to help understand the 'everything that is going on'. 

The journey to 'GO FORWARD' began. 

I have my disabled parking and I have noticed - some days - feel normal - other days - hurt like hell. I'm still walking and that's what counts to me right now. I have accepted that a wheel chair is a possible outcome, however I have pushed it out to the future as far as possible. 

I understand that when my heart stops and I fall. It's the falling that restarts it. According to one doctor, them bruises have saved my life multiple times. He even said on one occasion. "It was a good thing you were standing, if you'd have been sitting the fall might not have been hard enough to jolt it."

The roads in life can get rough. Life itself can feel like "your drowning in a thunder storm". Sometimes, quitting seems easier than living. When you can do absolutely nothing about anything. You breathe, you pray and you breathe. Even when it feels totally hopeless. You just keep breathing and one day, little by little things change. 

I like where life is now, the pain is manageable, the family is all moving forward. There are a few things we all would like to see improved, but we pray. The horses are home, and I'm home. . . The kids come over every week. I get to enjoy my grand babies all the time. Life is good 

and spring is finally on the way!!  

Hang in there, it will get better. 

Blessed by God 

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Miss Sophia

 

She hasn't been feeling well lately. The cough has been going on for about a year now. She's 14 and starting to feel her age. It didn't help that she was in the accident with me. I believe it knocked both of us out. She was thrown across the truck. So much has happened since. 

She loves her kitties. After Buster passed away, I decided no more dogs. Sophia waited years to be the number one dog and she's had the privilege for a few years now. The cats and her play together quite a bit, they sleep together too. 

 Last winter she had a pretty hard coughing attack and ended up spitting up blood for quite a while. After the whole event she didn't have her cough for a while. Now tonight, I noticed the blood in the water bowl again. Not nearly as much, nor was the attack as bad, but it was still another attack. 

There isn't much the vet can do, I'm not interested in torturing her with surgeries and the stress of it all, even if there was a cure. She's always been a very anxious dog and it's been important not to have her stressed out. She's lived a long happy life and I intend to let her finish it as such. 

It's just hard when it gets to this time. . You learn to enjoy all the time you have left. One minute she's a spry little puppy again the next she's sleeping. And she does sleep a lot. 

I can't imagine life without fur babies? 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

How the horse feels..

You can hear it when you listen......

Polaris is a wonderful horse. He's young and full of personality. He needs a devoted person with time. Time for just him, he's going to do wonderful things, but he needs an adventure and to enjoy life being challenged. He's going to become someone's best friend.

While on the other side....

Lil Star is about 5, had a rough start in life. I first saw her a couple years before on an auction site. I was too late she had been bought. So a year ago when I saw her picture on the rescue site. Oh ya, I was there. Yep, it was her! She came home with me. 

Scared, mean, biting, kicking, wouldn't let anyone get close to her. But very curious about my grandkids..

She's come along way and has wanted to come along. 
Very willing and wanting to learn. She has bathed, allowed the farrier to do her feet. She leads, wears her blankets... We're onto lunge - back - stand - and she even wears her bridle well. Saddle coming soon.

Of course lets' not forget...

Star Bright, is a family horse. She was born on a family farm and raised with children around her all the time. A very soft spoken man, and no abuse or mistreatment her entire life. I'm her second owner.

She loves to ride. She loves to be petted and brushed by the grandkids. They can sit on her back while she eats. She'll be 24 yrs in May. She's been around for a while and been there, done that. We've rode at the ocean, we've rode the mountain trails. She can winter 6 months and saddle up like she rode yesterday. 

Now we're exploring the trails next door to our New barn. As soon as she seen the trail head, the trot was on and we were off!  Loves - loves to ride! Smiles and greets people as she goes! Dogs, bikes, people, bright orange things laying on the trail.... 

Nothing bothers her. {except little creeks with 4 inches of water} lol.

Listen to your horses, their feelings can be heard.

 We lost the photographer on our last ride. Not sure what happened to him? He was in front of us and stationary as we approached...

We even stopped for a picture.

This was the last shot...

Before we lost him.

Remember ~

Life is the kind of adventure you make it~ 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

Quit or Give Up?

 

This has been a tough struggle for me .... 

Polaris

He is going to be an awesome horse and probably an amazing jumper!  But, I don't think he's ever going to be happy just casually toting kids around on a few trails. He's young and full of energy, not a calm mellow kind of dude. He has so much potential. 

Is this fair to him?

Is this fair to the kids?

What is best for everyone?

Not all horses are kids horses and not every horse and rider are a perfect match. Sometimes, it's better to quit trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and move on.

Polaris will be looking for a new home, an individual people of his own. Someone that wants a dynamic looking horse, with the ability to jump and the sweetest personality ever!~!

It hasn't been an easy decision, but after much prayer, it's the best decision.

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.

A lesson in itself. { Training Take 2}

 The vet came today!! Everyone got their shots. Check ups went well. Polaris was actually a good boy and Lil Star was the one pitching a fit?

With my schedule as it is currently, the horses had no choice but to spend most of the day indoors.... To make the most use of our situation and while we were going to have to wait and be ready for the vet, anyway ~  

We decided to spend some time, practicing 'being tied'. "Cross tied" in the isle. We also practiced, whether it was intentional or not, .. "Going in and out of our stalls, when we're told".  Stubbornly standing there was not allowed. Grooming time for everyone! Socializing....

There was some hanging out time, with the upper doors open. For Polaris, this means "making sure there is no pushing on the door, or reaching out to nip anyone who happens to be standing there, or walking by." He does like to reach out and pick up his halter off the hook and toss it. Or knock the rake or broom over. If there is a brush or container near by, it too will be in his mouth.... 

As it turns out both my vets agree on Polaris's age, being that he will be 2 this spring. There was some question that he might be going on 3 according to rescue records that were not completely accurate. So, in knowing that he's not even 2 explains a lot ~ and it helps with setting up a better training regiment and schedule.

His new rain sheet came in the mail, something new to learn! And he finally will have his very own coat. Hopefully that fits.

Star Bright's new bridle came as well, only thing I forgot was to order a 'black' chin strap... so dark brown it is for the moment.

Pictures tomorrow if I remember, I'll be driving around helping someone out as well as my own routine, so tomorrow is going to be a crazy day. 

Question of the day...

Are you getting the virus vaccine? 

Blessed by God

Life's good @ the Bright side of the Barn

Thanks for stopping by

Until next time, Stay safe and Happy Trails.