We had a Hay Day

We are just getting in from the hay field. It was late this afternoon before the hay was ready to bale so we didn't get started until almost 4:30 PM. Today I had some help all line up to haul in the square bales. Three teenagers showed up. The youngest 15, the oldest 18. So we get the equipment and my daughter-in-law and I drove the trucks. My son and one boy loaded one wagon and two of the other guys loaded the wagon behind my truck.

Two hours and two partial loads on my wagon and one load on Mike's wagon later one of the 18 year old boys announced that he had to quit. He had hay all over him and he had to go home and take a shower. After much discussion all three decided they had to leave. One promised he would be back next week when we were ready to bale hay again.

My son is 46 and he could throw hay further and faster than any one of the three of them. He put them to shame. Or would have if they could have been shamed.

So I drove the trucks and Mike and his wife, Natalie loaded the wagons. Larry is the man who bales my hay and he finished up the section he was working on and he helped load hay too.

So the four of us finished the job three kids a fraction of our age couldn't do.

That is why we are just getting in from the hay field at 10 o'clock P M.

Now I know this is a different generation and perhaps if these boys were really motivated, they would already have summer jobs. We had quiet a discussion after they left. My son Mike said he would not have dared to quit a job and walk off leaving a job undone that he had signed on to do when he was growing up and neither would his brother. It was not part of his thought process to consider quitting when he gave his word he would help but he also mentioned that Dad and Mom would not have liked him coming home and leaving someone in a bind.

I am not because of this going to label the younger generation as lazy and unmotivated but I do know a lot of kids these days that have so much handed to them they really don't see the need to work. My four children are grateful that they were taught to work at an early age. It has gotten them a lot of recognition as people who will do their best. They have kept jobs in a bad economy because their employer know they can be depended on. The two sons that have or had a military career have been promoted because they get the job done.

I want to welcome a new follower to my blog. It is my daughter Debbie. She emailed me and told me she was now following. I had told her I mentioned her in a blog and she had to know just what I had said about her. Welcome Debbie. I know you will let me know how I can improve my posts.

But to look forward to better days, the horse show is this week end. This is the Kentucky State Show at the new Equine Center in Winchester Ky. I have missed several horse shows this summer and I do miss going and watching the horses and try to judge which is best. I am always amazed that the horses are so well mannered and there is a lot of friendship and good will among the competitors.

I am also looking forward to seeing friends I have made through my involvement with Mountain Horses and the shows.

I do have several showing this year. Velvet is a two year old and is in Country Trail Pleasure classes. Amigo is 5 and in Trail Pleasure. Then there is 4 year old Rocky Top Rebel in Country Trail Pleasure classes. Rockin Andi is 2 years old and in Trail Pleasure. I also have two yearlings. One is a Sudden Impact Colt named WOF Mountain Spirit and the other is a Venture's Black Fury filly named Flair for Fury. I am looking forward to seeing how they stack up against others at the show.

There will be some tough classes and some good competition. There are a lot of nice Mountain Horses. The breed keeps getting better and more popular all the time.

So I hope to see you there.

May the Lord bless and keep you in his loving care

Regards

Mary

Cutting Hay

I think we will finally get into the field to cut the hay tomorrow. The weather forecast looks better than it has for many weeks now and we are going to take a chance on it. I have already signed on to help with the mowing over the objections of Larry, our hay man. But I am determined to help. We need this hay IN THE BARN. I have customers waiting for me to deliver hay.

The field is thick with grass and looks like it will make a lot of hay. I think it will still make some good horse hay as well as good hay for our beef cows. It has some timothy in it but it is mostly grass. It has sure been a difficult year to get hay in the barn especially for square bales. As you know they need to be drier when square baled than when baled in round bales.

I belonged to a farm organization some years ago that had their convention in Las Vegas. I never could understand why farmers would want to go to Vegas. Farming is enough gamble as we are always at the mercy of the market as well as the weather. Especially the weather.

I was in Stanton early last week and they were getting hay put in their barns the day I was there. We have not had three or four dry days in a row to cut and bale hay. They apparently had a few days and their hay guy was right on top of it.

While at Van Bert's that day, I rode my two year old mare, Rockin' Andi and I am so pleased with her. She is really a nice steady mare that doesn't get spooked easily. I sure appreciate the good training she has had under the capable guidance of Jamie and S T. They have done a great job with her and she will just get better and better. I felt so at ease on her and she was so well behaved. I have never been more confident riding a horse than I felt on her. I am hoping to ride her in a Novice class at one of the shows this summer. I haven't ridden much this spring so I am hoping to get there again this week and ride her some more.

My daughter, Mary Engle and her granddaughter and I have plans to go on Friday but it will depend on the hay situation. Melissa needs to ride too to get ready to show at some point this year. She has such a bad time in the winter due to illness that she has not been ready to show. Now that she is out of school, I hope we will get her to Stanton more to put her under the capable guidance of Wilda Derickson to teach her how to ride the Rockies. She sure loves riding and she is not afraid. She loves to go fast but I don't like for her to go fast. I am the nervous Great-Grandmother.

I am the one who back in my youth put my 5 year old daughter on a pony and told her to ride him or let him stand in the barn all day with her on his back. Then I walked off and left her to decide how to do it. Being older (and supposedly wiser) is not always a comfortable place to be. It is sometimes very nerve racking. Especially when you watch the grandchildren and now great-grandchildren and worry they will get hurt.

I also hope to be showing my yearling filly, Flair for Fury. So far the pros have shown her but I really think it would be fun to show her myself. She has done really well this season with 2 first places and a second. She is an outstanding filly out of Venture's Black Fury. The only time she has been beaten in hand was by another Fury baby. I love those Fury Babies. The judges seem to like them too.

Later everyone and until then,

God bless you and keep you in his loving care

Mary

Pig Roast

LS Mountain Windsock and her 2009 foal, WOFs Celine's Risin Star.

Yesterday we had our pig roast. I am pleased to report that the weather was nice and a cool breeze was blowing across the deck on the south side of the house. We had no rain or thunderstorms. God is good.

I can take no credit for the success of the roast. My thanks to Larry Sorrels for providing the roaster and the multiple other things he did to get the pig on the grill to roast. Mike and Natalie helped to place the 140 pig on the grill and helped to keep the grill burning. They gave me a lot of help in keep wood on the fire to smoke the meat. Besides Mike help me find and cut a hickory tree for the smoker.

My daughter Mary and her husband Mike Engle did a lot to get the party ready. They cut the pig off of the bones and got the trays of food ready. Shannon also helped cut the meat off of the bones. Then they helped with the cleanup along with my granddaughter Lucy. Thanks to all who brought food. Mary got my house in apple pie order on Friday and helped to get the tea ready for the next day.

Wilda and H T Derickson along with their son Jamie came from the Van Bert farm to help us enjoy the day. H T and Wilda entertained by relating many of their experiences with trail rides. H T now thinks my daughter Mary Engle will be going on a trail ride. Good luck on that one H T. I want lots of pictures if you get her in a saddle and even more if she actually rides on the trail. I think you don't know her quite as well as I do. Now if you want to talk about a motor cycle ride, she will talk to you. She may not have any more success getting you on a motor cycle than you will getting her on a horse.

Lots of friends I have made over the years and some of my children's friends were here to help us enjoy the day. One special guest was Jim Mumaw who did the outstanding renovations on the house. Everyone admired the work he had done to restore my house. Jim is a skilled craftsman who doesn't accept less than perfection in his work. My house shows it and would make my Dad and Mr Brookshire really proud. The two of them build the house originally and they would be very pleased to see how good it looks today with the changes we have made.

Several of my friends and all my family had seen the house before Jim worked his magic and they have been amazed at the difference in the house. To explain, we had not lived in the house in over 10 years and it had not been maintained by the people living here. So in those years my family had not been in the house. I won't even try to explain the condition of the house. But needless to say it needed a lot of TLC.

After dinner many of my guest went for a tour of the farm. Some in vehicles, some on horses and some on the four wheeler. I went with H T, Wilda and Jamie in their van to see the farm and they were very complimentary of the farm. I personally think it looks unkempt since I still have a lot of mowing to do but they liked it very much and did appreciate the view as much as I do.

So I think a good day was had by all our guests and I know we had more food than all of us together could eat. It was pot luck and I do love pot luck. Everyone brings their favorite dish and there is such a good variety of food. There were some really great cooks here yesterday.

My weanlings are really growing and the horses were very popular with many of the guest. Many walked out to the fields to see them. Sheri Badgett took her grandson out to see the horses. Kailen in almost two and one of the words he can say very plain is "horse".

I think everyone is very tired today but it was certainly an enjoyable day.

God bless all of you and keep you in his loving care.

If you missed the pig roast yesterday, you really don't know what you missed.

Regards.

Mary

Catching Up

I am really behind on writing on my blog so I apologize. I have made a nearly complete recovery now from pneumonia and I have been busy outside.

I did get to go to the Stanton show last week end and it was a really nice show. Vera mentioned Tristin Curtis and she is one of my favorites to watch ride in the show. As you could see from the photo Vera took of her, she is really classy the way she sits a horse and the training Wilda has given her is 1st class. That is the only way Wilda knows and it shows with her students that really take riding seriously.

I had several horses in the Stanton show but I think the one that had the most fun was the yearling colt I own called WOF Mountain Spirit. Due to a tack malfunction, the chain on the lead broke, Spirit got loose in the arena while he was showing in hand for the yearling colt class. Spirit had a nice romp in the arena before he allowed himself to be caught and put back on the lead. He put on quiet a show with his nice little canter around the arena. At one time we all thought he would jump the gate and head for who knows where but he was soon back in hand and the class continued. Of course after his little escapade he did not win the class but he may have won a few fans for his antics. With only two in the class S T and Spirit left with a red ribbon and I think S T s face was a little red as well.

Oh well that is show biz.

In her best showing yet, Rockin Andi won a 2nd place ribbon for a very nice showing in a large class. I was very pleased with her showing in that class and it just proves she is getting better and better. Jamie was very pleased with her performance in that class as well. She is really getting it together.

While I was in the hospital, we had a second foal. We had waited and I had worried over this foal for some time. We were figuring a due date for the last of May but her udder was filling up and her milk veins were really gorged with milk. When I went to the hospital, Wind Socks was so on my mind that the first thing I ask Mike on the first morning in the hospital was if Wind Socks had her foal yet. He hurried to the barn and came back to report that yes there was a new foal and it was a filly. Her name will officially be WOFs Celine's Risin Star. Celine is the name of one of my granddaughters and is such a sweet young lady of ten.

The first place I requested to be taken when I got home from the hospital was to the barn. She is such a sweet little and although she has not yet made up with me, I am working on it. It was so easy with Blazin Star. I was in the stall with him and his mother before he was on his feet and he comes to me in the field. He wants to be rubbed and scratched everywhere. I think it will soon be that way with Celine too once I get her over her shyness around me.

I have almost finished the book that my friend Michael Brummer sent me on Mountain Horses. It is really a good book. The pictures are outstanding. I know many of the people mentioned in the book and I know many of the horses. One picture that is very sweet is of Kaylee Tipton on Iron Man. She is just a small child and doesn't look over a year or 18 months old. She is sitting on the stallion with no one holding on to a lead line and no one in the picture with her. This is a breeding stallion and he has such a calm demeanor that her Daddy lets her sit on him alone. Is there a better testament to the calmness of Mountain Horses than that?

The name of this book is Rocky Mountain Horses by Bonnie Hodge. If you have an opportunity to get a copy of this book it will be well worth what you pay for it. It gives a history of the breed. And has many interesting stories of people who just wouldn't let the breed die. The book is filled with pictures of some of the foundation stallions of the breed and people who was instrumental in promoting the breed. It is a book that I found hard to put down. Thanks Michael for your kindness in sending me this book to read and enjoy.

Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. God has been very good to me to bring me through this illness so quickly and so completely.

Later Everyone

God Bless and keep you in his loving care