Saturday, August 25, 2012

a fair evening...

It's that time of year again...the fair is back in town. I do love our little fair... in a way, it's the same each year... but there's something just fine about that with me. The horse pulls have to be about my favorite.. though I know there are people out there who do not understand the sport and wonder why they do it. But for me, watching the strength of those beautiful animals and their willingness to work is amazing....
The "kids" joined us as well, with some of their friends... it makes me happy to see that they can appreciate the fun of a little country fair. We need to keep these traditions going and pass them onto the next generation. Abbie was with her Dad this weekend, but Sadie managed to take her Friday morning before she had to go.. so, she did enjoy some time there as well.
And you just know that I had to bring Bogey along. The fair is a perfect place to practice service dog work. Kelli and Rick brought Moxie with them, and then we ran into Mae and Russ with service dog Joe. Actually, I didn't see much of the fair itself... I was too busy talking with everyone... as you can tell by the look of the dogs... they got pretty bored just waiting around.. (so did Ed.. so he went and saw much of the fair on his own!!!!)
(Bogey to Moxie --- do you think we're ever going to do anything but lay here) 
Here's a good picture of our handsome boy, he is doing so well with us. He had a really good time at the fair.. AND since he has been called back to NEADS (returning there on Thursday)... this was kind of our last date together.... 
Huggy boy... he's going to be missed by all of us.. but.. that's another blog!!!! 
So, what did I do for entries and how did they do... well, I had this cross stitch piece that I finished a while ago. You suppose to enter pieces that are done the year before, but I didn't get that piece done. So I had this one framed and "threw" it in... you can see, it did well....... 
My next entry was this photo ... I took it last November on my way home to the farm. It was one of those "lucky shots".. but I sure do like it... so did the judges.... 
And my block that was in the fair quilt.. (theme "Back to the 60's) placed a fifth. Which I am very pleased about, because I had a hard time coming up with a design for this year's quilt.  
My friend Rick also entered a photo... he got a third..... (congratulations!!!) 
So another fun and successful year... Oh. and the winner of this year's Acton Fair quilt....  ME!!!! (seeing I was born in the 60's.. think it's a pretty good thing!!!)


and dare I say... when the fair pulls out of town... so does summer!!!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

31... already???

Today (8/22) Ed and I celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary. Where the time has gone --- I don't have a clue. But we certainly have had fun, and are EXTREMELY blessed. Last year, we went to Tenn to celebrate our 30th, but this year was a bit low keyed.
Kassy and Sadie came up with a wonderful gift for us... (the joys of the internet)... they found some old photos and had them made into a wonderful book... course you know I cried the moment I took a look at it.....they mixed old photos with new...  
 I hope we get to be one of those couples who celebrate 60 years or more.... but I treasure every day just as it is....

on a Sunday...


This afternoon, my sisters came for a visit with my niece Naomi. Abbie is really getting to the stage where she enjoys the company of other kids, and she is always delighted to see her cousin. Both the girls play well together and had a great time running about the farm. Denise then offered to saddle Honey and let the girls have a little ride... they were so excited and put their helmets on right away.
Naomi LOVES animals... she's a girl after my own heart.. and it took her all of a few seconds to climb right up on Honey. She wasn't one bit afraid, and I think, if she could... would have taken the reins and gone out for a ride on her own. Honey is very gentle with children.. so, it makes a nice experience for them.
Abbie went next. Now she is certainly used to being around the horses, but because we tend to drive more than ride.. she was as comfortable as Naomi was at first. Still though, she wasn't going to let her cousin do something and not her....
 After a few trips around, she was certainly feeling more comfortable and I think it won't be long before she'll be asking Denise when can she ride....
this photo just shows, that Honey is no mini horse... not as large as the drafts for sure, but she's a big girl!!!
The little barn that Denise bought is working out perfectly. Honey is now very comfortable on our farm and we enjoy having her here. Didn't really plan on getting into "boarding".. just goes to show... you never know what might come down the road!!!!
Our turkey babies are growing in leaps and bounds. We start out by keeping them in the tack room.. but these guys needed to get outside. So, we set up the pen and moved them... they seemed so happy with all this extra room....
but, with 15 of them.. even this pen won't be enough room for too long. We already decided that we'll buy a few extra panels and increase it's size sooner than later. No doubt in my mind that they'll be ready for the holidays.. (poor things)  right now, we'll just enjoy their cuteness....

it's 96....

Well, here it is again... the annual Firemen's Muster that is held in the old home town.. the third Saturday in August. For the department it's number 96... for me number 52... in a way, it's a silly, old fashion event.. but for me, extremely near and dear to my heart... and already, everyone is looking ahead to the 100th.
The parade as always was good, with a nice turn out of all kinds of fire trucks... from the antique to the ultra modern. Our little beetle had the honors of caring the "queen" (Miss Flame).....
and you could certainly hear all the sirens and air horns that accompany such pieces of equipment... often much too loud, but that's part of the fun.
Abbie has kept tradition, and riding for the first time this year on the trucks. She, by the way, is the fourth generation of this family to be a part of the festivities...... She told me later that " it was the best, Baby!!!"
I had Bogey with us this year. He did very well with all the noise and excitement. I'm beginning to also think of the muster as "which service dog did I have that year".....
good ol' "Protection 2".. I just love this old hand tub (as they are fondly called). Ed and I feel very proud to be the care takers of this fine piece. The "Red shirts" that own this piece are so happy that we enjoy taking care of it. She only makes this one appearance each year, but it's like bringing out an elegant lady to a grand ball.....
After the parade, it's onto the muster, where the firefighters compete in all sort of games. Bogey thought riding "topless" was pretty neat... actually all our service puppies have "gone topless" once or twice and all have enjoyed it....
So great to meet up with the people we have known (literally) all our lives. This is Bob, a very dear friend of the family... he knew Ed and I as children, and of course our girls, and now Miss Abbie.....
whom... later, got one of the best seats in the house. From her "perch" she had a bird's eye view of the entire muster....
However, the bouncy house was way more fun that sitting and watching the teams run. She spent the better part of the afternoon there... Bogey, I think would have loved to join her.
by the end of the afternoon, one little girl was beginning to run out of steam. Time to wrap it up.. go to Tee Tee's house for a nap to rest up for the evening's events...









Supper is cooking!!! In traditional style.. a "real" New England clambake...

 




The banquet is held at a local clambake. It comes with all the fixin's.. and it is very good....
Sadie and her dear friend Jenn....
this is certainly a night for taking lots of pictures and making lots of memories...
Our whole family was there for the lobster bake and celebrations. Here I am with my two sisters, Sadie and Abbie (Kass was off somewhere... and Naomi with a friend).. but for the most part, we were all together...
I was so hungry, I ate half the meal before I thought to get a photo... still though, there's lots to eat!!!!!











My Mom and Dad enjoying their meal...

Now, this is a picture worth a thousand words... this is my Dad, and Chuck... both these men have been members of the fire department and are still volunteering. Chuck received an award for 58 (!!!!) years of volunteering and my Dad for 56 (!!!!) years of volunteering... both are still very active in the fire company, and I dare say.. will hit the 60 year mark!!!!
A nice photo of the entire family... yup, it's safe to say that the firemen's muster is a real tradition in our family....
I wish you could have heard Abbie as I took this photo... she said to her Papa...


"This day was the best!!!"



I totally agree Ab!!!!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

the start of fun things...


My run of fun events began last Wednesday evening with the graduation of another dog class. This particular class was great fun (well, they're all fun, but some a little more than others)... one being that there were six students (two missing in this photo)... who not only had some really neat breeds of dog, but also.. all the handlers were men. Usually it's the gals that seem to do the training and once in a bit, a guy will come threw with his dog.. but this class was just the menfolk. We had a really good time (they laughed at all my jokes) and their dogs did very well. So, congrats gentlemen... keep up the good work
We also had an "extra" service dog visiting during the week. Remember our little friend Vicki.. well, she is getting ready for her turn in, and before she goes, she needed to go out on a puppy swap. She went to Linda's for a few weeks, spent her time at Cabela's and then came to the farm. Bogey thought it was great to have another golden to play with.... Vicki did quite well on her "swap" and will be heading to advance training quite soon..  
Thursday afternoon my dear friend Linda, and her family, arrived from New York. They were in Maine for a family reunion, and decided to take a few extra day to come and visit with us. They stayed in the camp, so the kids could have some time at the lake, as well as on the farm. Ian was quite in love with Mocha.... 
Rachel had come a number of summers ago, and spent time with me and the horses. Since that summer she has gone to be quite a young lady and her love for horses has not changed. She was more than happy to pull each one of the boys out and do a proper grooming on them. Here she is showing younger brother Johnathan how to groom... he was very brave around the big guys as long as his sister was there.
Kaitlyn has also turned out to be quite the lover of horses... Silver certainly enjoyed all the attention that the girls gave him. (he just about fell asleep during his grooming session)....
Nice photo of two friends reunited. Silver was (is) such a great horse, and so many young kids had their first horse experiences with him. I'm glad Rachel got the chance to visit with him again.....
After a busy day around the farm and the lake, Linda and I thought it would be fun to take the kids down to the beach. Sadie, Abbie, Kass and Nate joined us.. and we just had fun letting the kids run and enjoy the time together.
Johnathan had been asked not to get too wet in the ocean.... hummmmmmm
Since they live "inland" the ocean is a real treat for these guys, so Linda "gave up" and just let them enjoy. The water was pretty cold, but I guess they didn't mind....
From the beach, we moved over to the playground. Nate challenged Abbie to a race on the slide......
and with Mom's help, she conquered the wiggly  walk way....
As did Johnathan.... the whole evening flew by, but it was a tired happy bunch of kids (and adults) that headed for home.... the neat thing... the weekend has just begun....