Bloomin' Things

JB and I have slowly been venturing out again for distance conditioning. Even though we don't plan to be attending any rides this season, I still like to get out of the arena and work the endurance muscles a bit. Having taken this season off to focus on getting JB feeling better and moving better should give us a jump start for next season. JB improves in his gaits with each ride we go on. He is able to maintain a consistent speed and I am no longer working so hard to keep him going forward. WOOHOOO! Now that he is reaching forward in his gaits, his trot is by far one of the smoothest I have ridden and I am getting a canter out of him that I could envision traveling at for miles on end.

Today, we returned from a 7 mile ride hot, dusty and sweaty so I hosed JB off instead of sponging, then took him for a walk to finish cooling out and drying. As we walked I couldn't help but notice how the grass crunched with each step we made. The grasshoppers bounced off our legs as we momentarily interruptedtheir feeding frenzy. August is here. Things are beginning to dry out . We finished our walk and I put JB up with a few flakes of hay. I went in the house to grab a cold drink and washed a layer of dust off my face. I watched him from my kitchen window as he rolled , now completely caked in mud but seemingly content with his handy work. I realized how pleased I have been with the horse he is blooming into these days.

Thinking of blooming things, I decided I had a few flowers to water. I took the opportunity to take a walk around and snap a few photos. Even though it's drying out, much of the landscape is still in full bloom.

Lovely Lilies

Heraldson Apples

Grape vines, for winemaking

Daisies in the Pennial Garden

Cascade Hops for Homebrew

Some people are thinking fall and winter as soon as August arrives. As for me, I hope to enjoy the the blooming things for as long as possible, including JB, who appears to be blooming into a fabulous little horse.

What's blooming at your place?