I feel a hot wind on my shoulder, blowin' in from south of the border....

Wow 20 of the past 28 days have been above average. Some days 30 degree F above ! Winter into summer. Not to worry a cold front is on it's way and temps should bottom out around freezing Friday night/ Saturday morning.
I have gotten a lot done around here while the weather has been good. Got the mud scraped out of the night paddock for the horses, got the pampas grasses cut back.

Yesterday I rented a "Billy Goat " walk behind brush cutter to attempt to clean up a lower pasture that is overgrown with multi floral rose.

 I wrestled with that damn machine for six hours yesterday and in the end I think I was much more chewed up by the "Billy Goat" and Rose than the Rose was by the Brush Cutter. It was around 86 F here yesterday and I was just worn out at end of day. Sad to say after all the hours I messed around it looks like I had done very little.I was so dissapointed I forgot to even take a photograph of my six hours of  back breaking effort.
The problem was that the ground is rocky and fairly steep in grade. The machine was limited in what it could cut back as well as jerking me all over the place going up or down the hills. I am sure it would be great on more level hospitable terrain but was no match for the hills or the level of vegetation I was attempting to cut. A $75 .00 lesson.
My future plan of attack is to now wait until late Fall and through the winter to go back down there and chainsaw the big stuff and prune back the smaller stuff. Tee shirts and pricker bush , be it Wild Blackberry or Multi Floral Rose just don't mesh. My arms are proof !
At the very least I have it cut back enough in a good swath that I can get the electro net down in there and let the sheep at the smaller stuff.

I am thrilled to find I have another great swimming dog in the pack! Rush is a swimming fool.
I had been taking the pups down to the water after works because it was so hot and also a nice treat for us to have some special time away from the other dogs. While down at the stream I was fooling around with throwing a stick and seeing if either dog would bring it back.Rush loved the game. Flint , well he just does not get the bringing it back part. Then again his mother Bracken is not so good at that either. Any way I had the dogs down at the pond for a swim, or dip ( their choice ) . Turns out Rush did her best to rival Spirit in her "dock diving dog " impersonation.

Flint does not care for the water other than to MAYBE on occassion get his feet wet, though the first time he was down at the pond and running around the edge or what he thought was edge, was just a mat of old reeds on the top of the water. Flint found himself swimming even though it was not his choice to do so.

The Red Tailed Hawks are back at their nest down by the pond and stream.

I have been doing my best not to bother them much when I take the dogs down to the water.
I don't want them upset with us.

I have been getting down to ride Diamond a bit more and plan on getting her up here next month.  She was quite cranky the other day but it was hot and she had worked hard the day before with Rachel. I don't think she likes the saddle I was using so will try a different one of mine and see if it fits her better.
That's about it for now.