Getting closer....

[CountryEscape]

OMG, no videos, please. LOL If you only knew the "ride" I got when I had both horses last night .... yikes, that was pretty scary to watch, I'm sure, and if I knew I was being video taped, I would have messed up and not paid attention to my job at hand. Could have gotten messy, but I've done it before and knew how to stay safe with the extra horse. No leaving her tied to the saddle horn, good way to get me ripped off my horse. I'm pretty good about staying in the saddle, and both of my mares pretty much dance, they don't start bucking and lurching to get the heck out of dodge, but then I never know what the moment will bring. Having both horses last night, one fed from the other one's fear, and they elevated their own fears that way, that's why I took the calmer one today, and will do the nuttier one next time. A video probably would have been AFV quality.

 

[j.w]

Horses get spooked sometimes over the littlest things! I remember riding w/ a bunch of friends yrs ago when I was about 16 and we were riding on the median in the middle of the freeway. We did make it safely off the median but when in the woods all of a sudden some little sound or something scared the heck outta my horse and we went flying through low hanging branches, trees, brush etc. and I had had enough and instead of getting decapitated I decided to jump off into some soft brush cuz there was nothing stopping that runaway horse. Well I landed just fine........................but right in the middle of a bunch of stinging nettles! I was one miserable kid that night!

 

[CountryEscape]

Oh, yuck, JW!!! That sure would have hurt.
Had a Fox Trotter mare once, bought because she was "pretty" .... never did that again, although that is my #1 priority, but closely followed by well broke, then loves people.
She would shy at anything, even large rocks/boulders along the trail. She was not the "spook in place" type, she was a "plant 'em, turn and run" type, which is the type you end up on the ground! She only dumped me once, and then I learned her ways. NEVER could relax on her, as if I did, she would find something to "scare" her, plant her feet, do an immediate 180 turn and take off in the opposite direction. When she shied at the same boulder (about 5' tall, wide, deep) along a trail going and coming back, I told my hubbie at the time, she was getting sold. No need to never be able to relax. Always had to be on guard with her. Pretty just didn't cut it for her after all.
My two mares I have now are VERY pretty, quite the lookers. The Paint mare used to be a show horse, but she's way too skittish, can't stand still in a line up, so they sold her as a brood mare. I enjoy her antics, actually, as she has never unloaded me. Her worst try was last week, she pulled her head down (to get more length of reins, more power) and then bunny hopped left, then immediately to the right, which she had never tried before, and unseated me for a split second. I backed her into the ditch, which she HATES mud, and after that, each time she tried to bounce (I usually laugh when she does this, as it's her way to unleash her frustration, but not harmful to me, just jumping straight up and down with a rounded back LOL), I would back her into the ditch. That cured her that evening. Next time I take her out alone, she will be upset, as she is very much a buddy horse, but she needs to know that I am her buddy for the evening. Takes her about a mile to understand she's got me, and no one else, to count on. The cows .... well that will be fun, as she does not have the mind to accept them and it will take longer than looking at them for 10 minutes like last night with the Fox Trotter. If the cows behave the same way next time, she will figure it out, just take a little longer.

 

[koiguy1969]

everything is looking real good Jen... wait a couple years before going bigger again..lol

 

[JenH]

LOL. Yeah, I gotta spring these things a little at a time on my hubby. Maybe when my koi reach 15" or so he'll be more willing to make it bigger! On another note, my water lily has 3 new leaves on it, maybe its ok afterall!

 

[j.w]

Oops Jen we kinda got off track here riding our horses, sorry. Those waterlilies are troopers and they usually all make it through the cold. It's only when they freeze solid that they don't. Wonder how long it takes for the koi to reach 15".............I only have goldies and they will take forever it seems to get that big if ever!

 

[addy1]

Oops Jen we kinda got off track here riding our horses, sorry. Those waterlilies are troopers and they usually all make it through the cold. It's only when they freeze solid that they don't. Wonder how long it takes for the koi to reach 15".............I only have goldies and they will take forever it seems to get that big if ever!

shame shame shame lol,

Glad to hear jen, the lilies go through a time after they have been messed with. Once it warms up they grow like crazy

 

[sissy]

Yep just have to be patient ,easier said than done .Always have to remember pond temps may be colder than air temps and if your pond gets a lot of shade will be even cooler

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, sorry about that, Jen! :razz:
My water lilies sent up leaves a long time ago, but they are all still a very pretty burgandy color. I wish they would stay that way, but they were green last year, and others say they start out red, turn to green. Had my first blooms FINALLY open today. Been at the surface for well over a week. So, lilies will take off once the weather warms up again. This super warm we had in late Feb./early March had us all feeling like spring was already here, so now it feels like things should be more progressed than what the plants know is correct. I have a feeling Mother Nature kept lots of things back ... waiting for the REAL right time.

 

[j.w]

My lily pad are coming up all red and yep they will also turn green too. Lucky you w/ a bloom already! Not warm here for that yet. We are still having to build fires in the wood stove each night. Come on warmth come to mama!

 

[CountryEscape]

Here's a picture of my first blooms. The bloom that looks more "spent" was actually the first one, but it never really opened all the way (or maybe did so during the day while I was at work). The other more fresh looking bloom is the second one. I have one more that is on the surface, looks ready to open, but cooler temps yesterday kept it pretty much shut as far as I can tell. Spring IS coming, y'all!

 

[JenH]

No biggie, I love horses. My sister has a couple and I love to ride. Although I'm not very good at it. Need a nice calm horse or I get nervous and then the horse does....

My water lily leaves are red to, but if I remember last year they had kind of mottled red and green leaves. But I'm not sure anymore, its been a while. I hope they bloom for me too, last year I never got a single flower on mine, I don't even know what color the flowers are supposed to be. I got all of my plants in the ground today. Just in the nick of time too before it started to rain. It's supposed to rain all day, and I have to work all day, but I wanted to get them in so they could get good and watered by the rain. I picked up a couple new ones too yesterday. Another columbine, it's red and white, and a mountain fire pieris. That one doesn't flower, it's just bushy, but the old growth has green leaves and the new growth has red leaves. It's really pretty. Once I started placing my pots all around trying to decide where everything goes, I realized I have a whole lot of purple, so I need some other colors. I have 29 plants out there counting my Magnolia tree and the 2 transplants from mom's, 26 of those were still in pots as of yesterday so 7 of them I managed to get in the ground last night, the rest this morning. I hope they all grow well with my crappy clay soil. We tilled and added a bunch of peat moss and as I was planting I mixed in miracle grow garden soil with each plant too. Now all that is left is to get one more yard of mulch, and let it all grow!!! My husband said if I don't stop buying plants he's gonna cut me off...LOL! Can't help it though, they're all just so pretty!

We put a hillbilly fence around the whole thing to keep my dogs out. It looks horrible. Wooden stakes with that green garden fencing between them (had to make it tall enough Sebastian wouldn't walk over it) I hate it. But I don't want the dogs trampling everything we just planted, including some grass seed. I know a lot of you guys have dogs too, so how do you keep them out of your gardens?

 

[JenH]

Here's a picture of my first blooms. The bloom that looks more "spent" was actually the first one, but it never really opened all the way (or maybe did so during the day while I was at work). The other more fresh looking bloom is the second one. I have one more that is on the surface, looks ready to open, but cooler temps yesterday kept it pretty much shut as far as I can tell. Spring IS coming, y'all!
View attachment 42381

Oh they look so pretty! I can't wait for mine!!

 

[CountryEscape]

Your lilies will be right behind mine, Jen, and OMG, that is a lot of plants you got planted this early morning. Way to go! Now, have fun at work today, and get lots of sleep tomorrow a.m. I cannot leave a landscaping place without new plants. I found a Jacobs Ladder plant, it's VERY unique, have to show you a pic to describe it! It's called Brise D'Anjou Variegated Jacob's Ladder. I LOVE the ferny leaves!

This is a Weigelia - Eyecatcher. Love the yellow and light green color to accent the other darker colors in the bed this will go in. Blooms spring with red flowers - ready to bloom soon!

Last, here are my marigold infants that came up from the seeds I sprinkled where the plants were last year. Funny, but the larger 3-4" plants all died in the frost we had couple of weeks ago, but the smaller 1-2" plants didn't get affected! They are growing well and spread out so nicely. Will have enough to transplant to other areas, too.

So, Jen, when you get a chance, post some pics of your new plantings. We would love to see the area! Bet it looks wonderful!!!

 

[addy1]

nice plants ce.

I went crazy with perennials and day lilies, re-bloomers. Had to find places to put them, now killing the grass on the bottom of the garage slope, converting it to flowers, the last slope I slide off mowing. The top of the slope is all wild flowers (perennials) and various other plants I have put in.