It's hot. BUT, we didn't let that stop us from riding. Saturday morning I had scheduled a second stack of alfalfa to be delivered. It was a good price and, while I may have an excess now, I won't have to worry about making time to go pick it up.



Most of the rest of the day was dedicated to doing chores. About 4:30 we convinced ourselves it had cooled down (it hadn't) and there was a breeze blowing (there wasn't), so we saddled up and headed out swimming in our own delusions. We went out to the development. You may hear me call this a development, but since the housing bust, the area has gone to the weeds. In one housing track that was about half built it looked like they may have just recently graded an area about 200' x 400'. Viola! Our new arena. The footing was good and the ground was mostly level. We practiced loping squares and doing some of the exercises on RWC II, which I hope to video tape soon. I tucked my 3" x 5" index card in my saddle and tried to remember how to do all the exercises. Geesh, my memory is terrible. Jessie did well.

Sunday was equally hot and we didn't get a chance to go out in the morning, so that just meant more yard work. We have a lot of wasps this year. I passed some of the time trying to take a picture of them.



Max was nearby keeping an eye on me.



And Dusty was giving me the "Are you nuts?" look.



Sunday's ride was are usual route in reverse. We did some trotting along the canal, found some irrigation pipes to work on rollbacks next too, then loped for a bit at the new arena. The breeze was hardly a zephyr and it was still warm, so we kept it easy and headed back.

On a fly note:
We've been using fly predators for about three years now. They have helped reduce the population, but with our neighbor not using them it seems a bit futile at times. I had been picking up manure twice a week and I recently changed to picking it up once a day. It's sometimes hard to find the time, but it has really paid off in lowering the number of flys around our horses.

One more picture. At work, our neighbor has a cat. When she goes out on delivery he'll sneak out, then, because he can't get back in and it's 105 out back he yells to come into our store. I let him and the the guy tries to take up two chairs! What gratitude. Here's Tony the Tiger: