10 Tons of Cute

That is what my daughter said when she saw our new foal that was born on May 22. Our mare LS Mountain Wind Socks presented us with this little filly the morning after I went to the hospital.

I missed the Ladies Aux Show this past week end due to a nasty case of pneumonia and an UTI to boot. I got home from the hospital last Monday and this is the first time I have felt like blogging.

I enjoyed Vickie Smith's tips on grooming and I will certainly be using them in the future. It takes a lot of work to get your horse looking that good but like Vickie says it is details. Mark and Vickie own Sudden Impact who is the Sire of the newest baby on our farm. I am still trying to think of the right name for her but I am about to settle on "Celine's Rising Star".

Congratulations to all the winners at the Ladies Aux show. I am so sorry I was not well enough to attend. I hear I missed a really outstanding show and those ladies do know how it is done and it gets better every year.

I have so much to write about this blog that I will break into at least two. First I met my new friend Jessica at the Van Bert Stables a couple of weeks ago. She is really a nice and charming young woman. She had a very busy several days there by all accounts. On Friday there was a trail ride with H T and Wilda. I know that was fun for her. Then there were the days of learning her horse Mr Twister. I know she had an enjoyable visit and I enjoyed the brief time I spent talking to her. We have plans to meet again at the July show which she plans to attend.

From the Van Bert Stables on that Friday, Eleanor and I went to the KMSHA show in Owingsville. My two horses that went, Velvet and Chocolate Amigo did really well. Amigo brought home a blue for me. I can't thank Chris and Stacie Tipton of Cool Shade Mountain Horses enough for how well my horses are doing under their able direction. They look wonderful. They have a shine and conditioning that really gets them noticed. And they are putting in some really good performances.

The next day my grandson Michael Zinsius graduated from DeSalles High School in Louisville Ky and I was honored to be able to attend his big day. Congratulations Michael. This has been a big month for Michael. He also celebrated his 18th birthday on the 29 of May.

The next day Sunday I went to church and was not feeling real well that afternoon. By Thursday I was in the hospital with a raging fever and feeling like I had been hit by a Mack Truck. I am better now and plan to drive to Stanton tomorrow to visit with everyone there.

So this is what I have been doing for the past two weeks. I think my life is about to improve. My family sure hopes so. I developed a reputation in the hospital for not being a very good patient. Sorry about that but I haven't had much practice being sick.

Thanks so much to my family and friends that took care of me in the hospital and to Shannon for taking such good care of my horses while I was too sick to do it myself.

Later everyone

God bless you all in keep you in his loving care

It's the Little Things in Life

Chris Tipton and Blue Ridge Mt Girl World Show 2008

Most of our lives are made up of the little things. The simple pleasures. If we wait for the big things to happen, we miss so much of the little things that make life memorable. I remember once in Germany when we were visiting my son and his wife, I was thinking about how short this vacation would be for Bill and me. It would only last three weeks and then we would be home and I would go back to work.

I kept thinking all during that trip, that I needed to savor every moment. As it turned out, Bill and I had fewer moments left together than I realized. Although he lived another five and a half years after that, the time went so quickly and then he was gone and I live alone. Most days the dogs just aren't enough company and I miss Bill so much.

Recently I talked to another woman in my circle of acquaintances that has just been recently widowed. I know I have adjusted better than she has but I know the pain she feels. I know the emptiness of the house and the sleeping alone. I miss the special moments and the hugs. I know the loneliness of life without him.

But I have made a life for myself that I am enjoying because even when we lose someone we love so very much life does go on. I live on our farm again. I got busy with the remodeling project on the house and enjoying the horses I have acquired. I keep in touch with my friends. And that is how a life is made of simple things.

Most day are filled with the simple pleasures. The little things of life.

I went to the barn this afternoon to check on the pregnant mare before dark. Magic Rhythm was in the barn eating hay and had Blazin Star with her. When he saw me he walked up to the gate that separated us and invited me to play with him. I started scratching those itchy spots horses always seem to have. He stayed by the gate begging me to keep scratching him and rubbing his back and shoulders. He was loving it and we are bonding more and more every day. I also had to teach him a couple of little lessons. He wants to get mouthy with me. He wants to reach up and get my sleeves in his mouth and bite down. He also tries to bite my arms. So at that point my elbow jerks over and smacks him on his face or where ever it happens to land.

Biting and kicking are two things that can not be tolerated. He is a baby now but he may already out weigh me and he is definitely stronger than I am. Every time we are with horses we teach them something. His mother teaches him and she is definitely not as easy with him as I am but I did get my point across. He learned that if he reaches up to bite my elbow will hit him somewhere. It was something of a shock to him at first but he soon stopped reaching up to bite.

Tomorrow it may be the same lesson again. I have to be consistent. When he attempts to bite me, my elbow will get all crazy again and hit him where ever it lands. Soon he will remember the lesson. Being there in the barn with the horses was such a pleasant and relaxing experience. Relaxing with the little one and teaching him simple lessons. Listening to the others as they chewed on the hay. Watching the interaction of the horses as they deal with each other. You soon get to know who is boss and who stands back and waits her turn.

Soon my four year old mare came up to the gate begging for attention. Mt Girl was my first horse and she has in the past been aloft towards me but she is more and more my buddy now and she seeks out my company. So I gave her the desired attention and the scratching she was wanting from me.

I once again checked on the mare, Wind Socks to see what she was doing. She was still eating hay and I watched her for as long as I could. When it was too dark to see in the barn, I left and came to the house. The dogs are already asleep and snoring and I am heading that way myself.

Later

God bless you and keep you in his loving care.

Gardening

2 year old filly Rockin Andi

Today has been another busy day down on the farm. We have been selling our old crop hay to make room for the new crop that is about to go in the barn. I don't know yet what the hay quality will be this year but it should be really thick with as much rain as we have had.

My daughter and son in law were here this afternoon to get the garden tilled. It sure has been a hard job to find a day the ground was dry enough to get those pesky old weeds out of the garden. But with a couple of tillers running as well as a garden hoe working some, we managed to beat the weeds back and get three rows of corn planted. We also set out some more pepper plants and planted kale and spinach.

Our garden is already producing onions, lettuce and radishes. We have given everyone that comes to the farm a big bag of radishes and lettuce and we can hardly see where it is missing. I think this is one of the joys of a vegetable garden. It is the fact that you can share with friends the fruits of our labor. A garden almost always produces more than can be used and it is nice to share with friends who do not have a garden.

Then the rewards of having fresh produce from the garden on the dinner table makes the work worth while. We are hoping to also have plenty to put in the freezer. Or to can. I do have some really good pickle recipes that are always a favorite at the dinner table.

Our new foal is growing by leaps and bounds. The grass in their pasture is still not plentiful enough so the horses are still getting some hay. Tonight I noticed the foal is already eating hay. The other horses go into the barn and eat out of the hay supply there but Magic Rhythm will not take Blazin Star into the barn with the other horses. She certainly didn't let them share her bale of hay with her and the baby either. I set one out in the pasture for the two of them and she let him eat where ever he wanted but none of the other horses dared approach the bale.

It is a beautiful sight to see the mare and colt out in the field together. Today he seemed to be testing her a little too much and she gave him a quick nip to let him know what he was doing was unacceptable. The discipline was swift and got the point across in no uncertain terms. We as parents could take some lessons from horses on parenting. Too often human parents warn and warn but nothing happens if the infraction doesn't cease. The mare went straight to discipline. The bad behavior stopped immediately.

Our mare LS Mountain Wind Socks is making a nice udder so I think it will not be so long now before we have another foal. Mary Beth is so excited she can hardly wait. She has a three day stretch now working at the hospital so she is hoping the mare waits until she is off from work again in hopes she will be here when this baby makes its entrance into the world. She was in the barn late this afternoon checking on the mare. I think she was probably telling her to just wait until she is here to have the foal.

The video that Vera posted on the web site was certainly sweet. I kept thinking, "You can do it" "Keep trying there. You will make it" Then almost to the point of cheering when he was on his feet. I was reliving our foal's birth. The struggle to get those long awkward legs to support that body. The wobble. Standing up and falling down again. Then finally finding where mom is keeping the dinner warm. It is such an awesome sight. New life is always wonderful. It is the miracle. The newness. The circle of life continues as God has planned it.

Later everyone. The clock just struck half past my bed time. The dogs are already asleep and snoring. So I need to put these tired bones to bed. Hope your night is restful.

God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Mother's Day

Once a Hobo

Chocolate Amigo

Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies. It was a good one here. I hope it was the same for all of you. My Navy son is traveling but I got an email last night from him and he called this morning to wish his wife a Happy Mother's Day and told her to be sure to call me. He is out of the country on Navy business and it is not easy to get a call through.

My youngest daughter Debbie was working at the hospital today but got a few minutes to call me and wish me a Happy Mother's Day and I got to wish her the same since she is the mother of two almost grown sons.

My son Mike and his wife were sitting on my deck when I got up to wish me a happy Mother's Day. They were here for supper and we had a great cook out. There is nothing like steaks on the grill with all the trimmings and banana pudding for desert. Not to mention fresh lettuce and green onions out of the garden.

My daughter Mary Beth was here with her granddaughter so we saddled up Hobo and Melissa went for a ride on her. I still am keeping Melissa on lead line especially since the only places I have to ride right now is open and I don't think that Hobo and Melissa have come to an understanding or agreement on who is boss yet. They both believe they are the boss so that pretty much means Hobo is since she out weights 6 year old Melissa by several hundred pounds.

Hobo is a really nice mare. She is only about 14.2 or 14.3 hh. She is a awesome black with a beautiful white blaze on her face. She has a really sweet disposition. I think when Melissa rides her a few more times she may convince her that she is the one in charge. Melissa is gaining self confidence and is understanding how to make her go where she wants her to go. We worked on the steering wheel today.

Melissa already knows how to make the mare stop. She knows if she won't stop when ask to then she pulls her head around and rides her in a circle until she does stop. I was also working with her to let her know how to train Hobo to stop and stand. I told her to tell her to whoa. If she doesn't whoa then she pulls back on the reins until she does stop and then count to 5 and release when she stands still for that count of 5. This is a refresher of what she is learning in riding lessons. So we were doing some practice to get that to come more automatic today.

Hobo is already good at all of this. She has had a lot of training. She was going for training in the show ring but she wasn't quite making it for showing so I bought her for a brood mare. She is a terrific riding mare so we will be riding her until she gets so big with foal that it would be uncomfortable for her. That means she can be ridden most of the summer since she won't foal until March of next year.

I did not go to the N Middletown Show yesterday. I had promised to move some horses for the girls that come to the farm to help me once a week. One of my boarders had someone coming to look at her TWH that she wanted to sell so I stayed home to wait for what turned out to be a no show. That's ok I guess. I got a lot of mowing around the house and barn done. So it was not a wasted day.

But I did miss what turned out to be a great showing by my chocolate gelding, Chocolate Amigo. He placed 3rd out of a class of 9 or 10 Trail Pleasure entries. This is only his second time in the show ring. When I was at Cool Shade Stable last week, Chris and Stacie were teaching him to back up. This was one of the things he hated to do. But according to Stacie, he did a nice back up.

Stacie was pleased to report that people came up to her after the class and wanted to know who that gelding was and who owned him and where did he come from. There were some of the big names in the business that was very impressed with him. He is a stunningly beautiful gelding and he looks better this year than he ever has. I have Chris and Stacie to thank for that. I took him there and he was looking rough after a hard winter and some of the other horses picking on him.

Stacie has brushed and brushed him until he lost all the winter hair without having to body clip him at all. He has had some really good feed that has brought the shine out in him and made him look smooth and shiny as silk.

Thank you Chris and Stacie for another excellent job of training and showing. I think he will do nothing but just get better all the rest of the year. We didn't make the winner's circle yesterday but we will be there sooner or later.

Later everyone

God bless you and keep you in his loving care.