Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk on a cedar tree out in front of our house.

Description from WHAT BIRD site url below:

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/40/_/Red-shouldered_Hawk.aspx

Red-shouldered Hawk: Large hawk with brown upperparts and head. Underparts are white with rust-red barring. The wings are finely barred above with red-brown shoulders and pale below with red-brown wash and dark tips. Tail is dark with thick white bands.

Camelias in front of our house...

****no pix today....but I worked out in the barn most of the day. my youngest son who is 15 helped me tons!!! We cleaned out the horse manure from the barn floor totally by hand and a wheelbarrow because it was not only too muddy to get the tractor in the barn entrance, but the horse trailer is blocking where we'd usually bring it in from!!! Dang....but we needed the rain from this last week, so I am totally not complaining about the down-pours!!!!

My son, also cut some 6 inch wide molding boards and nailed them to the edge of the barn near the floor on one wall that butts up to the chicken coop. Now the chickens are more safe - at least from the barn interior side, from raccoons coming in and 'getting' them!!!! He did a really great job, having to saw the boards to size with a hand-saw, and nailing them on. It was a good learning experience for him, and very helpful to me!!!!

He also dug a french drain partially by hand and partially aided with the tractor at the front of the barn....he helped me re-stack lumber in the tack/storage area inside the barn, so i could sweep the cobwebs down, shop vac them up, hang up tack properly and re set the saddles and saddle blankets...I brought the halters, fly masks, and one handwoven saddle blanket back home here to wash and hang dry....tomorrow I'll take them back and put them into the barn.

All in all we got soooo much done, and of course I tweaked my back from all the digging and hauling of the horse manure, but took some Advil, and I know tomorrow I will be good as new for a middle aged woman!!!! :-) Life is Good!!!!

Tonight I've been playing with imaging software on some of my digital photography!!! Just having a blast with all the bright intense colors!!!! The purple picture is of 'my' kids on the American Paint horses, and the last one is of my DH (darling husband) on his horse "Buddy" out in the forest in front of our house. I have been working on some overlays of different pictures too, but haven't quite got that worked out....stay tuned!!!!

The kids all came over last weekend and friends too....everyone got to ride....I didn't get pix of everyone but they all had a blast....first time up for a few of them....it was pretty fun to see them smile....that's the way I feel every time I get up on my mare...like it's the first time....it was a great bonding time for our kids too!!!!!

On the 22nd I decided to do another solo ride, and went out to the pasture and got ZuZu and saddled and bridled her up. I took her out into the forest and really enjoyed myself...

I talk to her a lot, and sing to her too. She doesn't seem to mind it even if I sing off key. I wish I would have started riding years ago!!! I've really missed out on hanging out with my awesome equine friend!!!!!

Went over to the cabin on the 19th over night....shot these pictures on the 20th going back home...Fort Klamath area...man was it a beautiful couple of days....an Indian Summer for sure....I'm betting by now all those leaves are gone....and probably most the cows are being shipped or have been shipped....I love driving through there in the spring time too....when the calves are just being brought in to eat the early grass....it's a glorious flat place with the Cascade mountains in the distance....