Family – Page 9 – This Old House 2

Show Glow

So much work goes into showing horses, especially with the specialized breeds, like quarter horse. There are the lessons year round, the training of the horse if needed, the conditioning regardless, the clothes, the tack, the daily care, and most importantly the bond you build with your horse as you work toward your goals. In my opinion, that’s the most important part. K and Max have an ease and confidence in each other which is so important in getting things right in the show pen. Max is beyond his prime at 19 years of age, and K treats him with the kindness he deserves after many years in the show pen. He actually whinnies when he hears her approaching, knowing the treats are in hand. In return, he has taught her well and given her the confidence to get out there and do it.

Some of the other members of our team seen below, such an easy subject to photograph, and they are all tolerant of my lens 🙂

This young lady (Max’s previous owner) is already

quite the rider at just 11 years of age.

She is seen her with her new horse –

a young gelding that is learning the ropes along with her.

Trainers are constantly working with their students, even right before

a class, to go over patterns, techniques, tips for showing off your horse

to the best of your ability.

Practice, practice, practice……

Gleaming coats, beautiful faces, polished silver….

Waiting their turn, practicing, practicing….

Do you see KMax?

There are several patterns to study during a weekend –showmanship seen here…

Trail patterns, horsemanship patterns and equitation.

..and the endless primping.

Lots of waiting, too. This weekend was a cold and windy one,

this is where I give the participants a whole lot of credit for

sticking it out. There’s no doubt, horse show people are a dedicated crew.

I am so thankful that we have this opportunity to be a part of something that has given my daughter a new confidence after a horrific ordeal. She has an awesome horse to love on and compete with, and she knows what it takes to accomplish goals and does the hard work to get there.

It’s been a while now, eight years to be exact. Seems like yesterday to me, If I could only have seen these pictures back then…..

I remember saying to myself in the heart of the most horrible time as I sat on a hospital outdoor retaining wall trying to squash the heavy coat of anxiety I wore daily…… …can I just see a snapshot of what a few years from now might look like? But please, only if it’s good. Then maybe I won’t lose my mind here.

I didn’t lose my mind, and we survived. We. I have no idea why the writing of this particular post took me into that territory. But I won’t delete it, so there it is.

This snapshot, of our life now?…. It’s a beautiful thing.

Dressed to Impress

Busy weekend we’ve got going on…. horse show, Senior Prom, and mom hoping she’s got it all taken care of.

Day one of the horse show… a first, two seconds and a third – K and Max in their second year have really hit their stride. Not bad for an old man, and oh, how he is adored by K.

Max in his jammies….

It’s cold for a late April show, see the winter jacket?

And I have never eaten so much dust from all the wind kicking it up

out there. Keeping the show clothes clean in those conditions is

a full time job.

Tomorrow is another show day and then… Senior Prom!

I’ve gotten a sneak peak at the dresses, absolutely beautiful,

and if I do say so myself, the boys look so darn handsome and grown up

in their tuxes. Ah, to be young and have a night like this to look forward to.

Have a good weekend, all!

Five Oh

My guy is 50 today.. or yesterday,

depending on how you want to look at it.

Leap year baby, don’t ya know.

Last night we had a family dinner at his favorite restaurant

not far from here. We’ve never been big on BIG,

as in parties. I promised him I would not do the dreaded

suprise thing, and he had better hold up his end of the

bargain when it’s my turn.

So, we kept it small.. just siblings and their families, the parents

and our good friend and office manager, who keeps M’s business organized

down there while I do my thing up here on the farm.

He is our rock, the corner stone of our family foundation.. and then some,

this mountain of a man who is always there for so many.

While he sometimes drives me nutz and vice versa….

I am so blessed to have his love in my life.

(Right here is where he will quite possibly spit out his seltzer water,

roll his eyes and wonder who the entity is

who possessed his wife during the typing of this post)

The kids.. now all teens and young adults.. are at an age where they are

truly fun to talk to. We are blessed with a bunch of kids who are thoughtful,

thought provoking, intelligent, still know it all but also want to listen to what we have

to say, to where we’ve been, to what we’ve come to know.

And we laugh together.

It’s a beautiful thing.. as are this young group of individuals that I’m sure

will bring good things to this world.

The moms….

This family of ours. Best gift of all.

Finding the Bright Side

Attitude is everything. As I mature I discover this to be one of the biggest truths in life. No matter how determined we are, we can’t dictate exactly how things will go, what will change and what will remain the same. Nothing is sure but death, taxes and the unpredictability of weather. And Twinkies, Slim Jims, Twizzlers and Coke. I’m pretty sure those four things would survive any apocalypse.

As I sit here at the computer, my hands, feet and face sting from the thaw after morning chores. I am not discouraged by the winter that just keeps chilling, snowing and blowing. Instead, I am grateful for the beauty outside my windows, for the good health to carry out the chores, for the good fortune to be able to feed the troops and the animals, and for my husbands big excavation equipment, currently in the State Forest digging a Bronco out of the snow after a certain family member and his friends decided to see how far they could go in the snow last night. Wearing shorts and sneakers. ….. Ah, youth.

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch
of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for
home.”
– Edith Sitwell

Because of the cold temps and snowy tundra, we’ve been spending more time around the kitchen table at meal time, more time by the fire watching the Olympics, more time as a family in general. So often the outside world beckons us in all directions. This opportunity for togetherness, despite it’s chill factor, is a gift.

The Mr. and I did some gator riding through the trails yesterday…

…and got just a little stuck.

After a little back and forth and some shoving, cursing and flooring it…

we were free again.

Hey, stupidity is not always wasted on the young.

The picture currently in my header was yesterdays morning moon…

the winter moon is just beautiful.

I’ve now got some serious boot wear I found stuffed in the back of the mudroom closet

-my sons snowmobile boots from a few years back, when we wore the same shoe size.

They are mammoth…each boot weighing probably 10 lbs.. all the better for

some leg toning, right?

Attitude.

The dogs are content to run outside, do their thing, and come right back in.

We always dig a run for Ben, because he will not “go” near the house…

he wants some privacy. If we don’t dig that path,

he stands at the gate looking miserable.

Frasier is not so finicky.

The skies have been the bluest blue.

Picnic anyone?

It’s a new day, All – make it a good one!

Niether rain nor sleet nor snow…

Farm folks are like postal workers… whatever the weather, we still have to get out there and do our job. The animals depend on it. I often think of all the animals who don’t have responsible care givers, those who will go hungry and cold today because a humans ignorance is letting them down. When I think of all the animals out there who suffer, it breaks my heart to know I can’t help them all. I am so grateful to those of you who take care of the animals in your charge, and extend a hand to those less fortunate. Someday I will figure out how to reach more of them. For now.. I’ve got my crew to care for.

As much as I would have liked to sit at this computer with a cuppa Joe this morning admiring the falling flakes, the horses and chickens were waiting for the sound of crunching footsteps, ensuring their morning feed. When they hear us coming up the hill, the chickens start clucking and Opie begins his rhythmic banging on the stall wall to hurry me up, I suppose.

Thankfully, this morning my assistant barn manager was available to help, as her day job was not accessible due to the storm.

I’ve done this series of iPhone shots in B & W, because that’s our world this morning, not much color.

The girls are in their coop for the day with a red flood light – which throws heat

but not as much as a heat lamp. A healthier and safer alternative, I’ve found.

Their water is also resting on a small heater.

mini Coady waiting for cookies…

The Gator is our most valuable piece of equipment in my opinion.

..as is a daughter who is willing to help on these blustery cold winter mornings..

Opie would like to return to his stall for some of those cookies, please…

I’m back in and coffee is brewing.

For those of you down South, I hope y’all are safe and warm-

(did I say that right?)

We get more weather here, but we’re prepared for it.

I’m making Paleo Banana Bread today..

a big hit last week with my family, so I can safely recommend the recipe

for those of you who are trying to stay away from sugar and flour.

Recipe HERE

And just to add a little more color on this dreary day..

Here’s a recipe for an avocado dressing I found on Pinterest

Team KMax

K doesn’t do the winter show scene,

but she continues diligent work thanks to the indoor where she boards Max

to improve their “game” for the new show season.

Here at home, Opie gets a big reprieve in winter…

as I am a bit of a wuss when it

comes to cold weather riding.

See that shine? K is just a tad OCD like her Dad..

and has the squeekiest clean horse in the barn 🙂

Max is 18 this year…

looking good, old man!

Max has a special talent. He likes to undo zippers.

With that big horse mouth he grabs the tiny tab on jacket zippers

and pulls them down to open the jacket.

The first time he did that to K… she said..

Whoa Max.. it’s a little too soon in the relationship, don’t you think?

Cheesy Sister Act

On my way out to the barn early this morning I got a text from my sister as I was pulling up my boot straps…

S: I’m ready to go buy Velveeta even though I’ve never used it, lol.

Me: Isn’t that so ridiculous? Even the name is gross.

S: LOL I know .. it must be a PR gimmick.

Me: Well.. out into the Polar Vortex I go…with no Velveeta.

S: Lol.. Stay alive! I will find you and bring nachos!

Me: Perfect! …but only if you managed to score some velveeta.

S: I’ll work on it.

*******

For those of you who are not aware.. on many media outlets it has been reported that there is apparently a dire Velveeta shortage. ( – you gotta be kidding me – ). So, the new panic shopping items before a snow storm, if Kraft has their way… will be milk, bread, toilet paper, Velveeta.

It just doesn’t get any sillier.

Why did the rooster cross the road?

To get to my hens on the other side…

much to my chagrin.

He’s a handsome boy, I’ll give him that.

But there are several reasons we don’t have a rooster here at this old house.

1. They beat up on the hens and pluck their back feathers out.

2. They demand sex all the time and I’m not subjecting my hens to that crap.

3. They’re noisy.

4. Some are nasty and will chase you if they feel like you are invading their territory.

This guy lives across the street with two other roosters and his own flock of hens.

Until a few weeks ago he stayed on his side of the road.

For some reason, he believes my flock is his now too, and he comes over frequently

to “claim” them.

I’ve chased him back to his place several times, still waiting for him to get the message.

He challenges me on occasion but knows I’m capable of a good drop kick

..so it’s become a stand-off kind of dance without physical confrontation,

then his reluctant retreat.

Hmmm.. . Maybe it’s the red heat lamp in their coop he has mistaken

for a house of ill repute.

ROOOOOOX anne…. you don’t have to put on the red light…

(did I get you to sing it again?)

We had a very nice Christmas holiday,

time well spent with family on both sides, cousins getting together

The older folks reminiscing, siblings catching up.

Those are the most important gifts –

I hope you were able to catch some Christmas joy in whatever way

holds meaning to you –

As my husband says lately when he ends a call

… (and it’s kinda hilarious if you know him well)

*Peace*

Snow Scene

On most days I love doing what I do for the critters that live here.

Even when the snow flies… the chores aren’t a “chore”…

Unless the temps dip in the teens and the wind blows…

then it just sucks.

But oh, the beauty of the white stuff –

In my youth I proclaimed I shoulda been a Floridian.

As I’ve matured I have come to appreciate and embrace the seasons

and I don’t think I’ll ever go where there is no snow.

I also embrace Christmas Cookies…

…some things never change 🙂

Recipe HERE

About those Christmas Newsletters

I have received them… those newsletters that highlight all the wonderful happenings and successes, exotic trips and school acceptances, insert GAG. I’m not sure why they are so abrasive… after all, we can assume the writer of the letter isn’t lying. Maybe omitting just a tad. Something about that type of letter, especially if it’s a mass mailing, seems… impersonal and maybe a little braggarty. ( Is that a word? I haven’t had enough coffee yet to look it up this morning.)

Well, I did something yesterday I’ve never done before. I wrote Christmas letters to two of my older relatives and included a collage from picmonkey of photos of my family and my sisters family over the past year. Not surprisingly, many of the pics include horses and dogs. What I didn’t do was highlight all the awesome things we experienced this year… and part of the reason for that is… it wasn’t a bad year, but it wasn’t awesome either. And I don’t like the bragging deal, regardless. I also didn’t want to talk about the negatives… Merry Christmas! I’m deafer than I was last year, my daughter is realizing that the job market for college grads really really sucks right now, my son doesn’t want to go to college and hey, Mike’s business is really slow and our health insurance was cancelled thanks to the new Affordable Care Act! And I thought it was a great idea!

That would just be a downer. So I talked about how much I appreciate all the family gatherings both relatives hosted for the entire extended family when I was young and how those memories have shaped the person I am today. Hopefully that doesn’t make them cringe. I told them I have appreciated their love and guidance over the years, even during times when we didn’t see each other often because we live states away. I also mentioned their departed loved ones and how they have not been forgotten, how they are still missed and remembered especially at this time of year.

It’s just my opinion here, but that kind of newsletter isn’t a bad idea. It doesn’t cost more than a few sheets of paper and a stamp or two. The recipient will probably appreciate the reaching out in a personal way and connecting with family near or far just feels good, reinforces what we’ve had since birth, a part of the foundation we are built from. If you’re estranged? What better way to bridge the gap.

have you seen this? Now that’s keeping it real. LOL
I do find the picture humorous, however the fact that this is close to reality
is a sad and growing trend. Unplug yourself and live your real life, ya know?