Highlights

Ok, so this is Lucy. I would write as though I were Cody, but I am pretty sure you would be able to tell. Since Cody is very busy right now, which is a good thing, I thought I would fill you in on the lastest.

1) Cody got a piece of steel in his eye for the third time. He grinds steel that is newly welded and little pieces start flying. This last piece of steel had to be grinded out of his eye by an optometrist in Vegas. He was in a lot of pain the night before and barely slept. He thought the pain was bad then, but after the steel and rust was grinded out, and the numbing went away, he was in more pain. The optometrist put a contact on his eye to act a band-aid. He is wearing sunglasses inside and outside because it is so sensitive. I have threatened him with his life if he doesn't wear the type of goggles that suction his eyes! I am sure it is not very comfortable, but this going to the doctor to get steel out of his eye thing is getting old.

2) Cody has been busy with tour rides. He took a group from Vegas a few days ago. This weekend he has three guys from Vegas. One is a sports medicine doctor that treats famous athletes, the doctor's dad from Ohio, and a reality T.V. show writer. The writer even told Cody he wanted to bring a show out to Alamo to feature him. I laughed when Cody told me, but it would be pretty cool if Cody got the last laugh!

3) We have officially got our first customer since our business was established. Two horses were brought to Cody for him to train. We hope that our first customer is pleased with the end results. I am sure that Cody will do an excellent job.

4) Cody got the flu the other day. I offered to feed the horses for him since he was down. This led to another cowboy appreciation day. I fed the horses, filled their water buckets, and cleaned their stalls. The feeding took a bit longer than it would for Cody because to get enough hay in each stall it took me three trips each. Cleaning the stalls was as awful as I imagined. As I scopped up gigantic poops from the stall I wondered how I ever got to this point! I always knew that flies decompose the poop, but I was not aware of how many are helping in the process. Everytime I scooped, five million flies were attacking me (or so it seemed ;). Each stall filled an entire wheelbarrow; that is pretty impressive. After the scooping, I probably spoiled the horses a little because I fed them apple treats. All I have to say is...If I was a horse, I would want apple treats.

5) My last thought is...I get bothered when Cody is not busy enough with business, and I am bothered when Cody is never home becuase of business. I can't win! =)

Everyday Work

Cody on Spirit

Peppy

Hello friends and family!

Just got back from my grandfather's funeral. It was a really nice service and it was great to see family and friends. Now I am back to work...

Latest project: Finishing the saddle shed. I have really loved being able to weld things together and create all the different elements of the saddle shed that will make it really functional when riders come for trail rides. The saddle shed will have lights, air, shelves and lots of organized tack. Rope has been ordered so I can create bridles as well.

I was able to participate in a team penning event at the Whipple Ranch. It was a good experience and my team won second place. Spirit (one of the horses I took with me to John and Josh Lyon's certification) did a pretty good job following my lead and gets more familiar with working cows every time we ride. Spirit is really starting to sit in his stop.

We are on our way to California for the weekend. Hopefully the next time we go to California it will be to do a clinic! There will be a clinic for Lincoln County soon as well! Stay posted.

Thoughts from Lucy:

I finally rode Peppy. Peppy was given to us and was once a barrel racing horse. She was easy to ride and neck reins really well. Cody and I took a ride around the ranch, and I actually "sat" the trot for awhile as well. Sitting the trot means that you don't bounce 5 feet in the air off your saddle when the horse is trotting. It is harder than it looks!! =) Little by little I am getting my confidence back after the bucking incident.

California here we come. Some cool history: Some of the first cowboys were the vaqueros from California and they made all their own cowboy gear because 1) there was no where to buy it and 2) they had plenty of time to make it!

Another fun fact: Just to show I was destined to marry a cowboy...I lived in Salinas, CA--host of one of the top twenty rodeos in the North America! haa. I guess that is a little far-fetched.

Have a good weekend!