Aladdin

Many of you have heard about my rescue horse, Aladdin. This is Aladdin's story.

When I first moved to the farm, I only had one horse to bring here with me. But my friend Sheri had a horse named Hershey that I have boarded for her. So I did have two horses together. Hershey and my yearling filly, Velvet.

I loved watching them in the field. They really liked each other and they would run together. They often ran like they were a team. It was almost like they were tied together. One would turn and the other would turn too. It was pretty to watch.

One day Sheri called me and told me she would be coming after Hershey. She wanted to take her for a trail ride. I was a little concerned since that would leave Velvet in the field by herself. But Sheri had already worked that out. She said she would bring another horse to put in the field with Velvet so she would not be alone.

The day came for the transfer and Sheri pulled up in the driveway with the horse on the trailer. She opened the trailer door and off stepped a poor little half Arabian half who knows what. He was thin and he had not shed his winter coat. He had hair loss in some spots. I was assured there was nothing wrong with him that some good pasture wouldn't cure.

He did not belong to the farm he had come from but the farmer had allowed him to stay and had fed him grain everyday but he was not putting on any weight. I knew that farmer and knew he was doing his best to take care of him under difficult circumstances. Reluctantly I let him stay. After all it was only going to be until Hershey came back to keep Velvet company. But Hershey was pregnant. She had been misdiagnosed as being open and Hershey was within weeks of having her foal. So she had to be off of my pasture that has fescue in it.

I guess some of you are wondering what the fescue has to do with anything but it can cause the sack the foal is in to become too thick and the foal will not be able to get out at birth and death will occur due to lack of oxygen. It can also decrease milk production in a mare and even if the foal was able to escape there may not be enough milk.

So Hershey did not come back for a long time. Aladdin settled in after a period of adjustment. The poor little thing walked the 14' gate for several hours after he got off of the trailer. I got worried about him. But about dark I looked out the window and he was with Velvet and they were grazing. So I knew he would be ok then.

Janine is my granddaughter and she fell in love with Aladdin at first sight. So we started to work on him. We threw the grain to him, wormed him and brushed him until his coat began to take on a new luster. We bathed him and scrubbed until his pretty red color started to shine through. He still had some problem areas. He had scars from where he had been cut on one of his legs. It seemed a halter had been to tight on his nose at one time or another because he had scars there too.

Aladdin became very dependent on Velvet. He followed her where ever she went and was totally devoted to her. In the fall Aladdin had separation anxiousity when Velvet was taken to a stable away from here for training. But by then Hershey was back and he soon developed a close relationship with her.

It became so bad that if Hershey left the field he was beside himself. If we put him in the barn he would pace the floor until he was nearly worn out. Over the next couple of years I spent considerable money on him trying to keep weight on him. He would come out of the winter looking poor while the Rocky Mountain Horses would be all fat and sassy. The vet gave him shots, we wormed him, had his teeth worked on and all in all spent more on his maintence than most of the other horses I now own. Oh yes, I did get talked into keeping Aladdin as you may have guessed.

He was ridden some at first by Janine. Then she went home to Germany to live with her Oma there. So I was left with Aladdin and by then I had other horses to ride so he got left in the field.
One day Sheri came to ride Hershey. When she got Hershey out of the field Aladdin got out as well. She rode Hershey up through the field and over the trails. Aladdin followed every step of the way staying as close to Hershey as possible. They were a sight.

Recently Sheri called me and told me that she knew of a little boy that was looking for a horse. Would I consider letting Aladdin go. I told her sure and she gave his mother,Jennifer, my phone number. Soon a very nice lady was calling me to see if she could bring her little boy out to see Aladdin.

The day came and they drove up. Aladdin was in the barn and he had been bathed and polished and shinned as best as it could be done. Bob got him out of the stall and put a saddle on him. Aladdin hadn't been ridden in a couple of years so we really didn't know how he could act. Bob rode him around in the field and he was fine. So he took Aladdin and Nolan in the arena and led him around. Again he was fine. Nolan's little and big brothers got a ride as well.

Nolan was instantly in love with Aladdin and his mother and father liked him as well. I went over all of his faults and assured them that if he didn't work out he could be returned. I wanted to give Nolan the horse but his parents would not hear of it. He had saved $138. for the purchase of a horse and he had to pay for his horse to appreciate it. I immediately felt I was dealing with good parents.

So we decided on the purchase price. $50. It was enough to have him realize this was a committment and would have financial consquences but little enough that he would have money left to purchase some necessities.

So last Saturday, Nolan and his family came back for Aladdin. His grandpa came too. He is also a horse owner and he looked him over real good and approved the purchase. He was loaded on the horse trailer and headed toward the grandfather's farm to be there for Nolan to learn to ride and care for his horse.

But this wasn't the end of the story. Nolan had gone to Tractor Supply and bought a halter and lead rope. His grandfather taught him how to lead him around their arena. At one point Nolan dropped the rope. In her account of the incident to me Jennifer told me that Aladdin had stood right by Nolan as he picked up the rope and proceeded on around the arena.

Next came the gift from Nolan's grandparents. A new saddle, saddle blanket and bridle for him and Aladdin. Jennifer tells me that they tacted him up and Nolan was soon riding around the arena guiding Aladdin with the reins like he had done it all of his life.

I once thought this was where Aladdin would spend the rest of his days. He would just be a lawn orament in my pasture.

I viewed Aladdin as an old horse that would never again serve any purpose. That is the way that we see others sometimes. But thankfully our God does not see us humans in that way. If we truly looked at ourselves honestly and stripped ourselves of all the pride we have we would be humbled. The psalmist said "Who are we that God should be mindful of us." Who indeed. What do we have to offer the God of the universe. What does he need from us. He has everything. Yet he made us to commune with him. He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve.

All he wants from us is our love. I have such a pitiful little to offer to him. Yet he takes it and makes it more than I could ever give. For God is a God of love and he gave the only son he had to die for us so that we could have everlasting life with him. Our sins no longer have to separate us from God. Jesus paid the price and our sins are covered by his blood. It is a matter of humbling oneself and telling Jesus you need him more than anything.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care.


Regards,

Mary

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father except by me."

The Saga of the Yellow Cat

Eleanor has taken up bee keeping. As most of you know she is my sister and is 78 years old. She has kept bees for a long time so this isn't a new hobby for her just a renewed interest in an old hobby. She has a couple of hives that she had when she moved from my dad's house to her own house in 1993. She has worked with them off and on ever since then but recently she had a renewed interest.

Most of you have seen chipmunks. They are the cutest little things. Recently when my grandchildren visited here I was treated to the chipmunk movie several times a day over the course of their three weeks here. In the movie they are so cute but get into quiet a lot of trouble. Especially Alvin.

But life is not a movie and chipmunks can be pretty destructive. According to people who know about them, they can dig down along the foundation of a house and cause a lot of damage. So war with the chipmunks has been on Eleanor's agenda for some time now. Now this is a woman that shot a couple of raccoons for eating fruit off of her tree. One might say they were eating of the forbidden fruit. So the chipmunks are acting rather foolishly messing with her. And added to their list of high crimes is the fact that she thinks they are eating her bees.

But a chipmunk is a rather small target plus the neighbors get upset when she starts shooting at animals that cross over into her private domain. So Eleanor decided the best course of action was to get a cat. She told me of her troubles with the chipmunks and her decision to get a cat. She thought she had one lined up but the people never did get around to bringing the cat to her so I decided one day when we were at Cool Shade where a couple of my horses are trained that I would help her get a cat.

Those who have been to Cool Shade will understand why I thought this would be a good place. They have cats everywhere and of course there is always a new litter of kittens to be seen. Usually the cats sit in the loft to watch over their private enterprise. You seldom see them down on the main floor under foot. I mentioned to Franklin that Eleanor wanted a cat. He asked her which one and I told him which ever one he could catch.

So the chase was on. The cats sensing something was up that they wouldn't like scattered all over the loft. Little kittens, half grown kittens and adult cats all took out in every direction. But some of the kittens left the safety of the loft to take their chances behind various trash cans, boxes and even the refrigerator downstairs. We finally decided on one that seemed the most vulnerable and soon Franklin had it by the scuff of the neck but not before it gave him a good scratching for doing the unthinkable.

Since we had not planned on bringing a kitten home that day we still had the problem of finding a container for it. A feed bag was located and after some alterations to the woven plastic bag, the kitten was placed inside and the bag was tied with a piece of baler twine.

So having the little yellow kitten safely in the bag we started for home. On the way we checked on our little passenger from time to time. It was not hard to figure out how it was doing as it frequently moved around in the bag and made a lot of noise. We decided to stop and get some super at Steak and Shake. We checked on the kitten before we went in and after we came out and everything was fine.

We got to Eleanor's house and Bob picked up the bag the kitten was in but it was empty. So now I had a WILD CAT loose in my truck. So we started looking for it. We raised the seats up and sure enough it was hiding under the back seats. Bob, not wanting to suffer a similar fate as Franklin, found a pair of gloves. I was crawling around on the floor in the back to scare the cat over toward Bob. That wasn't particularly easy since I do have a broken arm. Finally he caught it and put it in the box that Eleanor had found. Milk and cat food was already in there to make it comfortable.

A couple of days pasted and she decided the cat needed to be out of the box. The cat of course was already out of the bag. So against what would have been my better judgement she let it out of the box. It promptly disappeared. She didn't see it for several days but she kept putting out food and milk for it that kept disappearing.

She soon discovered she had a mama cat and her kittens cleaning up the food she was putting out. Her kitten appeared at the neighbors several doors down. They somehow caught the frightened little thing once more and took it home to her in a regular cat carrier which she used for several days. So now she has her kitten and a mama cat and her litter living out in her garage. So what are the chances the chipmunks are going to survive? Slim I would say.

So that is how Eleanor saved her house and bees from being eaten by an out of control Chipmunk.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care. And may the chipmunks not destroy your house or interfere with your hobbies. If they do, I know where to find a kitten for you.

Regards

Mary

Busy Week

Last week was such a busy week I have no idea how we ever got through it.

I had an old friend that contacted me that really wanted to see my horses. She follows my blog. Hi Judy. She visits my web site and she knew the names of my horses almost as well as I do. So I was honored to have Judy, her husband Paul and mother Sarah visit me on Wednesday. She recognized Venture's Golden Satin as soon as she saw her and ask about Rockin Andi.

It was wonderful to see Judy. She lives in Iowa and I don't see her very often but I still consider her a dear friend. Judy, Donna and I were almost inseparable growing up. Taylorsville was a small town and still is in many ways. We all went to church and school together. We went to slumber parties together and visited in each other's homes often.

Then we all grew up as people do. Judy married and lives in Iowa. Donna married and stayed in and near Taylorsville. I got married and lived in Jeffersonville Ind for 11 years before we moved to Taylorsville. Bill and I bought the farm I live on now. It has been in the family for 108 years and I hope it will be in the family another 108 years.

Saturday night was our 50 years reunion for High School graduation. We had a nice dinner at the Colonel's Lady Dinner House near Shelbyville Kentucky. It was wonderful to see so many people that I went to High School with and sad to know a few were no longer with us. We seemed to all have aged gracefully. As gently as 50 years can be to people. But it was good to catch up with as many people as possible.

We were also at the Summer Celebration Horse Show at the end of the week. I was also glad to see friends I have made there. Two of my horses came home with Blues. My niece won a second place in a very good class of youth riders. She rode my horse Rockin Andi and they really looked good together. Leigh is a good rider and she has only been riding for a short period of time. She has taken to it like a duck to water.

I was really pleased with the performance Rockin Andi gave on the obstacle course. She placed a very nice 4th place in a very good class of trail horses. It was her first time competing in an obstacle class. I can see her next year going for a versatility award. She is extremely talented with the Mountain Horse disposition that Mountain Horses are well known for.

Now here it is another week and my horses have gone to Ohio to the International Rocky Mountain Horse Show. They will all be there for a week. Code of Honor, my stallion, placed 2nd in a large class of conformation horses. He will be going back into the Championship. My weanling colt made a nice showing in a large class of 16 weanlings. He placed a very respectable 4th place. I have not heard any more news out of Ohio.

My brother is suffering from a cold and I have appointments every day this week with either PT, a doctor or the dentist. The doctor says my arm is healing really well but don't go back to riding yet. What? Does he think I will fall off of a horse? Anyway I have at least 4 more weeks of PT and then back to the doctor.

Our Competitive Trail Competition is less than three weeks away and the time is flying by. We have had a good response for that and I am getting more excited all the time about the ride. It is so hot here as it is everywhere else. Our ride will take horses and riders through the woods. We planned it that way to relieve horses and riders from the oppressive heat. About 90% of the ride will be in the shade and a large portion will be in the woods.

This is more like a news letter than a blog. But tomorrow, I will write a real blog about Eleanor and her new kitten. You will like that one.

Until then, may God bless and keep you in his loving care. He who knows the number of hairs on your head will watch over you and keep you safe.

Regards

Mary

The Story of Lilly

We had a dog named Holly. She had several litter of puppies. The best dog we ever bred her to was a dog named Nash. The first breeding Holly had a beautiful litter of puppies. We had sold them all except for one female puppy I named Mandy. Mandy was yellow and a very sweet little female. She got to be a couple of months old before anyone wanted to buy her. Finally it happened. A couple called and came to look at her and of course fell in love with her.

I cried when we sold Mandy and even Bill hated that we were selling her. He had grown attached to her as well. But the new folks took her home promising to give her a good home and love her forever. I never quiet got over selling Mandy. She was my favorite of all the puppies Holly had given birth to.

So later when Holly came in season again, I thought we would breed her again. So I contacted Nash's owners and set up a date for them. I took her to their house but I didn't think the breeding worked and Bill decided we really didn't need for her to have puppies again anyway. So we didn't repeat the breeding.

Fast forward to 60 days later. Holly was in the corner of our basement where she liked to have her puppies and she was scratching around on the floor like she was making a bed. I told Bill if I didn't know better I would think she was getting ready to have puppies. But I thought, not possible. She had not come to her milk and she didn't look like she was pregnant. But I was puzzled as to why she was acting like she was.

I fixed Holly's bed in a child's swimming pool by putting an old blanket in the pool. She was satisfied with the arrangement. I went to work. When I got home that afternoon, she had one yellow female puppy. It was just what I wanted. A yellow female puppy. I waited and watched for her to have another puppy but no more puppies. The next morning I called the vet and took her in because she still acted like she was in labor.

He operated on Holly and found she had no more puppies. She was straining to pass the afterbirth not more puppies. So I had her spayed. She was getting some age on her and I didn't want to breed her again. While I was waiting I called my friends who owned Nash and told them about the one puppy. The female I wanted so badly and how God had blessed me with this one little yellow female puppy.

Ann thinking about Easter having just passed suggested I name her Lilly. It was a perfect name for her. Not only is it tied to Easter but there is a flower called "A surprise Lilly". Well she certainly was a surprise. And she was yellow and she was perfect.

Lilly didn't have a real easy time of it. I came home one day from work and she had somehow broken her leg. I never did know how but I went to the vet with her and he put a splint on it that was very unhandy for her. She drug it around and poor thing would flop over from the awkwardness of the splint. She went outside to answer the call of nature and promptly got it dirty and drug it off. Back to the vet. He re taped it and got it too tight. She has a scar from that to this day.

So the leg healed. Some time later I called her and Holly in for the night. It was October and the air was cool. I was outside calling her and walked past the neighbor's privacy fence. I heard all this splashing going on. I went over and looked through the boards of the fence to see what idiot was out swimming on a cold night in ice water. It wasn't any person, it was my Lilly. We fished her out of the pool and dried her off as best we could.

She would often be gone to visit neighbors and I would be out looking for her. I always found her and loaded her into the truck and hauled her home. Sometimes, I would be late for an appointment or work or even Church because I was bringing her home.

Today it has been terribly hot and tonight is not suppose to cool off and be any lower than in the 80 degree range. Bob and Leigh went for a ride today and the dogs followed along. When they got back Erica was with them but Lilly wasn't. They figured she would be in soon so they didn't worry at first. When I got home from the doctor, it was late enough that we got worried. We looked for her until dark. On the four wheeler and by horse back and on foot.

The Doctor won't let me back on the horse so I was the one on foot. We followed our trails and called her and called. But we found no trace of her. She has gone missing and the woods are thick and the fields are grown up so I have no hopes of running across her. The last time she was seen for sure was when the two dogs went into the water to have a swim. That area was searched completely and still no sign of Lilly.

So tonight I am rather upset. Lilly has been with me for several years. Over 7 to be exact. She has gotten too fat and her grandmother died of a heart attach. So yes I am worried. But she is in God's hands. God gave her to me and now if he takes her back it will be alright too. I just pray she doesn't suffer a painful death. God is good and will take care of our dog. Mine and God's dog.

My brother Bob is trying to make me feel better by suggesting she will come in tonight when it gets cooler. I know he is meaning to comfort me but I'm not buying it. I have called and whistled for her. If she was able she would have come.

So tonight despite all the blog material I have from the horse show and our busy week last week, I am writing a sad blog about the loss of another dog in less than a year.

But I am not alone. My friend Sheri told me about her dog Lando that was attach by a large dog recently and had to be put down because of his injuries. So I do not grieve alone. We have all had the misfortune of loving too deeply and caring too much for these wonderful animals God gave to us.

Where ever she is, she is in God's care and he will be with this animal I love. I know that because the Bible tells us that not a sparrow falls to earth that God doesn't know about. It teaches us from that that if God cares so much for the sparrow how much more does he care about you and me and the rest of mankind. It tell us that we are worth more than all the sparrows. After all remember God gave his only son to die for us so that our sins can be forgiven.

Greater love has no man than he lay down his life for his friend.

Jesus did that for you and me so that we don't have to try to earn our way into heaven by our good works.

May God who watches over sparrows bless you and keep you in his loving care.


Regards

Mary

Horses are Unpredictable

Well now isn't that an understatement!! Has your horse ever done anything that you never thought he would do or not do what you thought he would do with no problem?

Congratulations if that never happened to you. Yesterday we went to Asbury University for their trail ride. There was several riders there and as I have found, they were all very proud of their horses. Even those that were less than fully broke.

Now less me say this about that. If your horse does not do obstacles, a competitive trail ride is not the place to teach him.

We took Satin. Again I did not ride. You know broken arm and all that. Doctor says "Stay off your horse" But Bob did a wonderful job riding Satin. Every one admired her and we heard numerous comments on how beautiful she is and how willing she is to do what is ask of her. It was a difficult trail. There was a long hill going down to the Kentucky River and then back up the same hill. Not only that but by the time they got to the last 2 miles, it was all in the open.
It was hot yesterday and both horses and riders were hot and tired by the time they got back to the barn. There was no shade in that last leg to shelter them from the heat of the day.

We had a long walk to the shelter where lunch was served and awards were presented. The lunch was really nice. It was a great menu and the food was plentiful. After lunch the scores were tallied and awards were presented. Bob and Satin got a 4th place in the pleasure division and that was really a good placing. There were riders there that had been riding all spring and summer so they were very experienced. I am excited that several of them will be also coming to our ride in August.

We walked the long road back to where we had the truck and trailer parked and Satin tied out. We had some discussion about whether to stay for a clinic they had planned or to go home. We decided to go home. Bob untied Satin and walked her to the trailer. He pointed at the trailer door expecting her to go on and load just like she always does. But this time it was "No Deal"
She absolutely refused to go on the trailer.

Several people offered to help. I think they had in mind they could push her on there. She is not terribly big, about 15 hh but that doesn't matter. She still weighs most of a thousand pounds. And 15 people may have eventually gotten her on by pushing and putting ropes behind her. You know the drill. But what about next time. Where are those 15 people then. No this had to be solved in such a way that Satin would remember it next time in a positive way.

So Bob did the only sensible thing. He drew on his Clinton Anderson knowledge. He had gone to a Clinton Anderson walk about tour with a couple of us and Clinton had demonstrated how to load an unwilling horse. Let me repeat. Until yesterday afternoon, Satin had never been unwilling to load on a trailer. Why she refused yesterday is any one's guess. But she got it into her head she would not load.

We tried coaching by putting a little feed in the door. She ate what was close but would not move her feet to reach what was out of her reach even though she knew there was feed in the bucket just a few feet away. That would not have been what Clinton would do anyway.

So Bob starting making her move her feet. She had to run from one side of the trailer to the other and then turn around and go back. She got tired but she continued to do the exercise until she was really breathing hard. She was sweaty and really wanting to get it over with. Then Bob asked her to step on the trailer. She put her front feet on the trailer and hesitated. But wait. "No" he told her. "Don't go on the trailer."

Some more running back and forth. Now let me add here that this was not unobserved by others. One man was sitting in front of his tent enjoying the show that was being put on. It may have been a better clinic than the one going on inside the arena. Bob once again let her get close to the door of the trailer. This time there was no telling her "No". She hopped on the trailer so fast there was not time to tell her "No". She ran up to the front stall and waited patiently while Bob walked in to pet her and tie her to the trailer.

The man by the tent saw that she had stopped going from side to side of the trailer so he got into his pickup truck and drove over and stopped by our outfit on the pretense that he was checking his rig. But he was looking for the horse that wouldn't load. He expected to find her standing at the back door eating feed or something, I think. He did not say a word however. He just observed that she was in the trailer. With that he got into his truck and left.

Why did this work? Because Bob made the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. She wanted to stay outside of the trailer. So he put her to work. He made her move her feet and she had to hustle to do it. She figured out after awhile that it would be easier to just go on the trailer. She would get some rest there. So she decided to do it. It became her idea. She thought she had won this round. OK we will just let her win every time we want her on the trailer.

Another lesson from a horse. God must have made horses just to teach us a lot of lessons because they sure can teach us a lot. We think we are teaching them but more than likely they are teaching us more.

King David sinned against God with his affair was Bathsheba. God sent the prophet Samuel to show him what an evil thing he had done. As you may remember, David had her husband killed in battle to hide the fact that she was pregnant with his child. Bathsheba's husband died without knowing but God knew and sent Samuel to show David what a wicked thing he had done.

David's heart was broken and in Psalms we see him crying out to God to not take His Spirit from him. Just like Satin finally begged for rest in the trailer, David begged for rest in the God he loved. More importantly the God who loved him. We see David resting in God as Satin rested in the trailer. Both found the place of peace and rest and a place to be relieved of their burdens.

May the God of rest and peace keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary

Bring the Dessert

I have written this one before but I keep getting so many requests for my banana pudding recipe that I am going to post it again.

Last year we had a pig roast at my house and it was really an event. Wow the pig was sooo good and every one brought their favorite dish. My table on in the sun room adjoining the deck was filled and over flowing with good food. We also had a desert table.

When we started planning the pig roast, my family started telling me I needed to make the banana pudding that they all love so much. Several weeks before the roast my son had friends over and we got to talking about the pig roast and desert. Brian, the friend, said he made the best banana pudding that was ever put in anyone's mouth. My family said "Not so, mom makes the best banana pudding ever eaten". So it was decided there would be a pudding "taste off". We couldn't have a bake off because I don't cook anything that goes into mine.

Later we invited my sister, Eleanor, to bring her banana pudding that she is sure is the best in the world. After all it is Mama's recipe. I hated to compete against Mom's recipe but mine is so easy and really good.

Here's what happened the day of the pig roast. First Brian called and said he would not be coming with his banana pudding because he sprained his ankle. Next Eleanor called and said she was coming but couldn't bring the banana pudding because she couldn't find Mom's double boiler. I suggested she could have done it was regular pans which I have always used when I needed a double boiler. But she insisted she had to have the double boiler. Hmmmm!!!!!!

I really didn't want to win by default. I know mine is the best. My son in law will no longer eat banana pudding at a restaurant because I have ruined it for him. Any you can ask anyone who has tasted it. So here is the pudding recipe that everyone loves so much.

This recipe was on the Eagle's Brand milk can years ago so it is not original with me.

1 can of Eagle Brand milk
1 1/2 cup of water
1 box of jello vanilla instant pudding mix

Combine these ingredients with a mixer until they are well mixed and set the bowl in the refrigerator for several minutes until chilled. About 5 minutes

Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream until peaks form.

Fold the cream into the pudding mixture until well blended

In a large bowl place a layer vanilla wafers and bananas and then cover with a layer of pudding mix. Keep layering until all the mix is used. It will make about 3 nice layers. You will want to end with the pudding on top. Sprinkle a little Cinnamon on top to add a little color and a nice favor. Serve and get ready for the compliments. If you like to be a little dramatic you can act as if it took you hours to make and you really went to all that trouble even after a really hard day at work.

I hope you enjoy it. It really is very easy and takes so little time.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary

I don't know any cute Frenchmen but I met this really cute Aussie back in February. The little girl is also very cute and she is my granddaughter, Kailey Lipginski. She is quick to tell you that she is going to be in the gifted class in the 2nd grade. It was March and they were picking flowers up by an old house on my farm. My grandmother had planted the start of those flowers over a hundred years ago and every spring they bloom profusely. The deer apparently don't like them.

I had intended to put some pictures that I had taken of a part of our trail that is being cut for our trail ride that is coming up in just a little less than a month. I just couldn't resist putting these two pictures on. My granddaughter Kailey has the sweetest face. She had played hard before this picture was taken and they had gone to the flower bed several times to pick flowers. Her face was still dirty from her play but I love her expression.

My friend Sheri Badgett and I had gone to the Clinton Anderson Walk-About-Tour in Lexington and we had the honor of having our picture taken with him. I found him to be very gracious. He stayed until the last picture was taken and the last question was asked. I know he had a hard two days and more but he was very kind and I can only describe him as gracious to those who wanted to speak to him personally after his demonstrations.

Real progress is being made on our trails for next month's trail ride. My brother's grandson, Robert and his friend Ethan have put in some really hard days with the chain saw, four wheeler, an axe and a machete. According to all reports and what I have personally seen the trails are really awesome. I had a friend over this afternoon that rode the trails with Bob and two of his grandchildren. She was very impressed with the trails and had only minor suggestions for improving them. It was what we have been needing. An uninvolved person to ride and let us know what their opinion is.

I think our farm is a place that people can come and ride in open fields and in heavy woods and really enjoy a ride with their trusty horse without feeling there will be areas that they can not handle. To test this out, Bob took his ten year old grandson on one of my mountain horses and rode him and his 15 year old sister on all the trails. Leigh is a good rider but her brother is not as good as she is and he was able to ride the trails with no problem. If that is any indication all of our riders should be proficient on these trails.

We are excited about the prospect of people coming here and riding and seeing what we love about the farm so much. It is one of the many blessings from God as well as those wonderful mountain horses I have been able to buy.

I hope you will be able to join us for a day of trails, prizes, food and contact with a lot of people who own and love their horses, whether they are mountain horses or a horse of unknown breeding.

May God bless you and keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary