Autumn in NW Oregon

Had DH come with me to walk in our woodlands after my ride yesterday. This is about the extent of the Autumn color in this area but it is pretty in its own right.

Front porch... has more color than the native trees. You can see my Japanese Maples and Strawberries changing colors.

The River birch trees changing colors.

Few days ago I woke up to what I call a "Pink Air" sunrise. Seems like everything is bathed in pink, the grass, trees, clouds even the air itself.

Keep hoping that a fair wage job will turn up locally, soon. We would hate to have to move from this beautiful place.
It is by far the most peaceful and stunning place we have ever lived.

The Warmth of Icelandic horse fur, to a cat's paws~

Is that a happy and sleepy cat or what?

Since it was not going to rain today I decided I wanted to do some leaf peeping via horse back. So I had DS help me groom Dyfra up and DS's cat, Nari (our outside mouser) decided she rather lay on Dyfra's warm back be itched and then happily groom herself. Took a couple of video shorts so everyone could see.

Dyfra did not mind at all and loved it when Nari was kneading her back.. had Dyfra's nose going. Nari started falling asleep and so did Dyfra. Really proud of them both.

However, I still wanted to ride......

Of course every time I put Nari down.. Nari was up on Dyfra's back again...so made it a little interesting to get Dyfra tacked up.

Finally was able to get Dyfra tacked up and took Ella with us on our short trail ride. We have a little fall color and really enjoyed looking at it while riding and then letting Dyfra eat some grass while sitting on her back. It is hard to put in words just how peaceful that was.

Fall Harvest

This looked so pretty, I had to take a photo of it.
DH learned to braid Onions so we can hang them. Have a winters supply of small sugar pumpkins, only a few Delicata squash and only 3 of the Japanese Kabocha squash. But I am glad we have gotten what we did.
Makes we wish we had a proper cool house for storing food like this.

Latest News

First I wanted to show you a photo DH took a few days ago of the beautiful pink clouds.

Nothing much is going on right now other than trying to keep our chins up.
DH keeps going for interviews and is still in the running for a few possible jobs but most are not in this state sadly. And the companies sure don't seem to be in a rush to fill job slots and they seem to be passing older workers by, not good for us.
I really, really don't want to move from this farm but we have to go where the jobs are and they sure don't seem to be in this State. Oregon is second worse in the US, for loss of jobs and unemployment.
The logistics of moving the household, farm equipment and fur kids just boggles the mind.
But that is down the road at least for a few months, so trying very hard not to worry about what might happen later.
They say things happen for a reason but you know... I am rather tired of that saying at my age. Is getting rather old, the saying.. not me. ;O)

Other than that.. I am keeping busy with my Art and the Farm, DH is busy looking for a job and working on the Farm and DS... should be taking his driving test...finally with DH's wee manuel car sometime next week...we hope. Not mind...there are any jobs for people his age around here right now. So he keeps busy here on the Farm too.

So that is it in a nut shell.

Edda video

DH took this photo of Edda running around while I was driving Maggie down our country road. Needless to say she loves to canter and gallop!

Drove Maggie yesterday

Drove Maggie yesterday and lets say I have never seen her be so bad. Pretty sure I figured it out.. if you don't the have the shafts before the point of her shoulder, she can get right cranky.
Looks like I need to buy a third set of Traces, since the last folks did not heed my measurments. Sigh.. Not that I can afford to have a new set of Traces made.

Yes, Maggie's long Mane has been hogged. Did it for a couple of reasons, the weight her her very thick mane was pulling her crest over and this way it makes her easy for me to wash her mane with the Dandruff shampoo. Think it looks pretty good, sure is easy care and much easier to harness her.

Latest Project ~ The main horse shed

We need to enclose the shed for this winter and with no money coming it, we decided to go rustic. We are using things already on the old Farm.
Alder trees won't last more than a couple of years but it should work until we can afford something a bit more permanent. It would of been better if we could of debarked the logs but we do not have a draw knife.
I will cap the T posts in the next couple of days.

Now all DH & DS need to do is make some kind of rustic gates for both ends. This way if I need to keep a horse in, I am able to now.

I would really like to insulate and put a vapor barrier on the ceiling of the shed but it will have to wait sadly. Reason it is needed, in this climate, the underside can weep and it makes the inside as wet as the outside, so the shed can't do what it is needed for and it helps keep the noise down, to which the horses aren't overly fond of the way it is now.

DH sat out with me today as I watered the plants on the porch and at first, I did not know he had brought the camera out. Here is one of the photos and I can be seen without a horse. LOL