the start......

Even though the past few Fireman's Musters have been on the quiet side, I still get that "excited feeling" when the third weekend in August rolls around. Afterall, its been a big thing for me...my entire life.... I attended my first muster in 1960... at the ripe old age of 5 months!!! My Dad was (is) a firefighter, and has held several offices as such... including Chief... so, I grew up with the fire department.

I never really planned on marring a fireman, in fact, Mom said not to, because they were always leaving you for fire calls, but with all those handsome young men in my Dad's fire company, how could you not date a few, and yes, fall in love and marry one!!!! So, being Ed's wife... my "life with the department" continued .. as it should.

Ed is the "keeper" of an old "handtub" fondly called "Protection 2".. this is a piece owned by an association named the "Red Shirts",( there's a whole story on them, that I will need to tell at another time. ) And for me, the muster all begins when Ed brings "Protection 2" home for the parade. In a couple of hours, a group of red shirts will appear, bring Protection 2 out of her house, and polish all her brass and get her looking good for the parade. It one of those silly things that has a special time about it, and I look forward to seeing them come every year.

Now, you have to know that where there is a muster and a parade, you have to have a "queen".. in the past years "Miss Flame" has been a high school senior, and picked in a number of different ways. In 2004... Miss Flame was our own Kassy!!!! (so was her best friend Diana.. they shared the fame) The girls had their picture in the paper, received a savings bond for their efforts, rode in the parade in an antique car and tossed Goldenrod kisses to the crowd... then handed out the trophies after the running events .. and oversaw the banquet and dance afterwards. To this day, Kas likes to pop out the line " Miss Flame, 2004, thank you for coming!!!" And Nate can proudly say, that he married a beauty queen!!!!!

So, I guess that none of you will be surprised to learn that this year's Miss Flame is Sadie. Tomorrow will be the parade, the muster events, banquet and dance.... the third Saturday in August..... always the same!!!!!!

cleanin' tack

it's too hot to ride, the horses have had their baths... what else is there to do.... well.... there's ALWAYS tack!!! (with horses.. there is always something!!!!) Cleaning tack has to be another one of those " really owning a horse" experiences. I don't mind cleaning so much, as finding (no.... taking) the time to get the job done!!

It's important to keep tack in clean condition... afterall, you depend on it when you are riding... so, if it's weak or in bad repair, you could really find yourself in a mess. It's also important that it stays comfortable for your horse, I should imagine that stiff, dry tack would be alot like wearing shoes that don't fit you right. You might be able to walk in them, but in the end, was it worth it. And nothing looks nicer than clean leather!!!! Besides, my riding instructor is a great one for commenting on the condition of your tack, so I sort of feel "inspired" to do it :-) .

Tack cleaning is really a job to do at the barn, but for now, I find it easier to lug it all home and do it there. Ed's sawhorse is a perfect "step in" for my saddle, and that pile of leather pieces on the ground, does make into my bridle (and yes, I can get that all put back together again!!!!) So, tomorrow there will be nice clean tack to put on Tonka (just so he can "mess it up again").

Speaking of Tonka.... Ed and I recently joined the Maine Draft Horse and Mule Assoc. I posted a note that I was looking for some help with regards to Tonka's driving... and I got a few responses back. This Sunday, a member of the club is doing an event over in Eliot and has invited Ed and I to come and look them up and talk about Tonka... so MAYBE, I can get a handle on this driving thing..... .that would be cool.............

Mocha.... goes to camp

So, on Friday afternoon, my house guest, Rachael and I load the truck and head to camp. Among the items that were taken...were, our personal things, food, 7 cocker spaniels, and one horse trailer containing one miniature horse!!!! I have been wanting to take Mocha to camp... just "because", but this weekend was the perfect one to do it. Teresa and Dave were away as well, so, to make the work a little easier for the folks that were doing "barn chores" for us, I decided it was better to bring Mocha along with me.

Ed picked up some fencing and a box so we could "electrify"it (mainly to keep any loose dogs out of Mocha's area) and we used the horse trailer as her little barn at night. It worked perfectly, and she soon became a real favorite on the camp road. Everyone that walked by, stopped to talk to her, and being the social gal that she is.... she loved all the attention!!!!

Then Saturday afternoon, Linda arrived to get Rachael!!! Because of the long trip back and forth, I invited her to spend the night. We had a grand time together!!!! Had a little cookout, went and showed them where the new house will be, and sat by the "cooker" and ate marshmellows for the better part of the evening. Sunday morning, she and Rachael packed up and headed home!!! I still can't believe how quickly the week went, Rachael is a great little gal, and we had such fun together!!!! (didn't we Rach!!!!)

Sunday afternoon turned out to be a family reunion of sorts!!! My cousin Kevin and family, have rented the two camps for the week. They had invited my Uncle and Aunt (my Mom's brother) and all the cousins up for a cookout, so I got on the phone and did the same with my family!!! We haven't all been together like that in ages, and it was great fun!!!! Mocha did some "pony rides" for the little ones (this is Naomi having her first pony ride)... I must get a little saddle for her!!!

It was hard on Monday morning to pack up and head home... back to "real life".... but Dean was waiting at the barn to trim Tonka and Silver's feet, and I had been missing them, so it was a good reason to get back. Since Mocha did so well at camp, and everything went so well, I already have plans to take her back....... as if 7 little spaniels weren't enough!!!!!!

dogs

I have seen in my day, a number of dogs who love the water.... but Charlie... is "crazy"!!! Anytime there is water around, you can pretty much find Charlie in it. At camp, he spends hours in the lake, chasing sticks, swimming after the ducks, or just "fishing" along the shore line. He also likes to watch things related to water. Kas and Nate actually bought him two gold fish... and yes, he will sit near the tank and just watch them float about.
He is equally fascinated with Titus's pool (Iooks a little like my fountain dog in this shot!!!) he would be in that pool if we didn't keep an eye on him!!! I can't believe how long he is able to balance like this!!!! And when Titus is in his pool, I can almost hear Charlie thinking... "he's so lucky!!"

And look at this handsome bunch!!! I'll tell you for someone who isn't that excited about "black cockers" funny how I ended up with three of them in the house!!! Maybe I should explain myself... it's just with all the colors that are in the cocker breed, I don't find the solid blacks that exciting (guess I am more of a parti gal!!!) but these boys are pretty great, and I do love them dearly. Obviously Cole is fitting in just fine, almost like he never left us in the first place!!!! (Trevor is the in front wearing the red collar, that's Cole in the back with the white muzzle, and Hunter is on the other side!!!!)

I can't believe the week is at the end, it's been a busy one, and has flown by. It's been a great treat to have Rachael here with us, and I have spent my days "playing" at the barn... nothing's been done around the house, but I have a feeling it will all be waiting for me next week!!!!

it's a girl!!!!

Miss Rachael Joy arrived on Friday, August 3rd at about 11:00 am... all 12 years old of her!!! She is here to spend the week with us, to get a good dose of "horses, dogs, camp and being a little sister!!!"

Right away, it was up to the barn to see the horses, Silver is definitely Rachael's favorite boy, and she took him right out to get a good bite of green grass (he certainly appreciated that!!!)
Then she got little Mocha out, and gave her a good grooming... nothing like going from one size to another!!!!!!

We went to the camp over the weekend, but once we were "home" again on Monday, it was back to horse business.

Rachael finally got a chance to ride ol'Silver horse.... he's nearly 30 and a bit on the "creeky" side, and hasn't been ridden since January when we took him to the beach.... but he seemed happy to be back under saddle again. Since Sadie came out to see what was going on, it was a good chance to take some pictures of Mocha and Silver together. (still want to get that shot of Tonka and Mocha, maybe we'll get that chance one day this week)

Either way, I think Rachael is having a pretty good time here... we are certainly trying to spoil her a little!!!!! it's nice to have a "youngster" around the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

York Days......

For the past 20 years (as near as I can figure) Piscataqua Obedience Club ... my dog club...has been invited to do an obedience demonstration for the York Days Celebration. York Days is a week long event celebrating the town of York, with all sorts of entertainments. Some nights its music in the gazebo, puppet shows, sand castle makings on the beach... a wonderful firework display... and the dogs!!!! Actually, the dog show is one of the most popular events, and if you check out the crowd in some of these pictures, you can see that its true. This year the weather was just perfect!!!and the crowd was as big as ever.

I am the MC at this event, mostly because its the town I live in, and it sort of fell into my lap a number of years ago. I always get so nervous before this event, and I really don't know why. I don't mind speaking in public, I know what I want to tell folks, and I can always count on a big number of other POC members there to support me.... but I still get the "jitters".... I try and change it up each year, because I know we have people that come to watch year after year, and I try and keep it fresh and fun. For the most part, it always goes off without a hitch, but this year, we did have some trouble with the music, and a couple of the dogs... mainly my Moxie... had their own idea of how the "show would go"...... (ie: barking at me, jumping over the jumps that she wanted to, taking her old sweet time on her come... and the more the crowd giggled, the "worst" she got!!!) But I think that the crowd likes to see that sort of thing, and one other thing... it goes to prove that our dogs are "just dogs" and that anyone can and should owe a well behaved pet.

We do all sorts of things, try and show all the different levels of obedience, work a whole crowd of dogs together (the people are really impressed with that!!!) and of course, our flyball team is always a huge success!!!! After we do a couple of runs with the teams, we pull kids out of the crowd and have them race the dogs!!! THAT is a huge crowd pleaser!!!!

And then, after the show, we invite the crowd to come and talk, meet the dogs, ask questions about obedience and all that sort of things. I think that's the part the dogs like best, because they certainly get a ton of attention. This is when I breath a sigh of relief and consider doing next year's show (though I always think ... this is the last one!!!) and think of what I might do different the next time around. So, I guess that means, I'm not ready to retire... quite yet.....

day 100

And "HAPPY BIRTHDAY,NATE!!!"

August... another month down, and beginning tomorrow, 99 days until the expected arrival home of "our" Nate... today he is 22.....

Wednesday nights are known as "steak night", I don't get to go too often because I am usually teaching, but this evening I had off, so I got to join the "steak night crew". When everyone heard it is Nate's birthday, glasses were raised in his honor!!!!

Mini Nate was pressed into service yet again... what's a birthday unless you have your picture taken under the birthday banner!!!!

Acutally, this banner was put up by Kas and Nate for the Mom's birthdays back in April... I just haven't had the heart to take it down...so, here it was, all ready for mini Nate and Kas to have their picture taken together!!!!!

So, even though Nate is on the other side of the world at the moment, he is very much here at home!!!!

"We love you, Nate..... happy, happy birthday!!!!"

killin' time

So, I am at a stand still for the moment...... you see, tonite is the dog club's obedience demo at Short sands beach. We do this every year as part of the York Days celebration, and every year it's just the same..... a wonderful performance, we draw a huge crowd, everyone loves the dogs and is sad when its all done.... except for me!!!!! every year, I have several sleepless nights before the performance and worry about the routines and is the music good enough, and did I get all the equipment we are going to need, etc. etc. Which is where I am at the moment,......everything is all together, I think I have the routine in my head, and now it's sit and wait until it's time to go.......... nice that I have a blog to play with, because I can't think about doing much until the demo is behind me.


Thought you might like to see the "peepers", we moved them to the outdoor pen over the weekend... and they are growing fast!!! Sadly, we lost three of them... we didn't loose any last year, but three didn't make it this year. I asked at the feed store if something was "a muck", and we were told that it sometimes happens. They were willing to get us three more chicks, but, I said no... I will be happy to get these three into the freezer!! We still have one left from last year, which I will probably cook sometime in September.


And look at this.... Titus's outdoor pool, complete and up and running!!!! We went over to Home Depot on Sunday to get some wire (Ed is making a new bunny hutch so Sadie's bunny can be outside in good weather) and as we went into the store, I saw that they had set up a pool and just supported it with pavers.... well, we have plenty of pavers (remember our new walkway) so, when we got home, I got to work!!!! Ed got the pump working for me, and I don't know if you noticed, but the "fountain" is a little cocker spaniel holding a hose. I bought this a long time ago (wanting a pond to be set up) and now it's finally able to do its job!!!!

And here is Titus, enjoying all his swimming room!!! He got to spend the better part of the afternoon out in his new pond!!!! I will only put him out there when I am around to watch him. I don't think he can get out of it, but who knows... I never thought he would get out of his tank either!!!! I need to make a resting spot for him, and might look into getting a few plants for it, but, its being used and that's another project we can check off the list!!!

So, the clock struck three...... three hours to go... five hours and it will be done until next year...........yup, just killin time.........

hot summer days

The weather lately has NOT been my favorite!!! Hot, humid... yucky!!! But, one must always take advantage of whatever comes, so when the days are like this... it's perfect bath weather!!!! I do believe the horses appreciate it as well, and they always look so good when they are done!!!

The trick is, keeping them that way!!! Unlike the cockers that you can keep inside for awhile, unless you lock the horses in, I can guarantee that a good roll in the dirt will follow any bath. Because the barn was a bit cooler than outside, we did lock them in for a bit and they actually remained clean for the better part of the day!!!!

Bit of a difference between bathing Tonka and then little Mocha!!!!Both were excellent and enjoyed a nice bite of green grass while being rinsed off!!!
Is this what one means when they say "bad hair day?"..... Oh well, Mocha can look cute in almost any situation!!!!

Next week, we have a very special guest coming to stay with us..... Miss Rachael...... she is the daughter of a friend of mine, and is as crazy about horses as I am!!! So, we are planning a week of "horse stuff" and if the weather holds hot, there might be baths again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!---- "poor horses"

escapee

Early yesterday morning, there is a little tap on the bedroom door, it's Kassy. "Are you awake?" she asks...."yes" (bearly). "Well, I thought you should know that Titus got out of his tank". My eyes snap open!!! "What?" she goes on "Titus got out of his tank, I found him in the bathroom. He seems to be OK, but I just wanted you to know". As soon as I am up and dressed, I go to check on Titus, he doesn't appear any worse for the wear, but I do find a little chunk taken out of his shell. I have no idea how he got out, I am assuming he pushed past the filter tubes, which means he had a pretty good drop to the floor!!!! Silly turtle!! But it also makes me realize just how much I like him, because when I think of all the places he could have hidden in the house, I could have really lost him. I guess he is thinking his tank is too small, we haven't had time to get his outdoor pool ready (we have all the parts and pieces...just not enough time to get it together)... so, I promised him that we will get onto as soon as possible. I know he would like more swimming area..... the things we do for our pets.

It's been a busy week. On Tuesday, after Tonka and I had our lesson, I went out to Deb and Dave's to collect Mocha. Teresa and I came up with a way that Mocha can live at the barn with Tonka and Silver. NOT that she didn't have a perfect home with Deb and Dave (and Alice and Buddy) but I was finding that I just wasn't getting out to spend time with her. I really want to find out how much driving she can do, and just get to know her, and that sort of thing requires time.

I was worried that the move would be very hard on her. We sort of figured out that she and Alice have never been separated, and both the minis loved being with big Buddy horse. She loaded perfectly on the trailer, and aside for one big whinny as we pulled out of the drive, she rode along and wasn't at all afraid when we got to Teresa's. We put her in her "pen" and gave her some time to settle down. Then I introduced her to the other horses, and everyone was great.

It's been a real treat to go and see her everyday. She seems perfectly happy and is always looking for company (that's where Deb and Dave spoiled her!!!!) But she goes out into her little area and spends the time grazing and talking with the others over the fence.( Dave reports that Alice is doing just fine without her mom, so I feel much better about all that.) I do think that Tonka's a little "jealous"... Mocha's stall is the first one in the barn, so naturally she gets spoken to first when you enter, and Tonka always makes a little noise about that!!!! Silver doesn't seem to care one way or another, but then, he's had to put up with Tonka for the past three years!!!!

So, now our "babies" are under one roof.... course I can't wait until the time when they are all together under OUR roof!!!!

PS... Cole has settled right into the house, almost like he never left.... I'll get some new pics of him for the blog soon!!!!!

SWcon't

****before you read this one ..scrolled down to get the first half of the story*****
This is the view we had at dinner!! MaryEllen, Jack and daughter Jenny, Thom and Karen, and Ed and I all went to this little great seafood restaurant. We sat out on the deck and watched the fog as it rolled in. This is a ferry landing, and it was also a scene in a movie!!! For those of you who may not know.. the Stephen King movie "Storm of the Century" was filmed mostly in Southwest Harbor. On top of that,Thom went to college and studied in film and has worked on many, many films as a camera man!!! Storm of the Century being one of those films (and no wonder that he owns and operates the only video shop in town!!!)... if you are looking for a scary movie that has very little in the way of blood and gore... check it out. But, back to the story. I had lobster for supper (first one of the summer) and everyone had a variety of things, but more importantly was the company and catching up with friends. It was pretty late when we got back to the motel. Moxie and Cammie were great guests, you would never know that we had two dogs with us.

Saturday morning we met up with everyone for breakfast, here we all are.. that's me with Thom, Karen, David, Tracey, and son Dillon. We ate at the restaurant that Pam (cole's owner) owns and operates. Got a huge breakfast, and just more in the catching up with old friends.

Then we went back over to the fire station, because Ed had been promised that he could take a little drive in the new firetruck. As I said earlier, this was Thom's baby, he was the planner behind this truck. That's pretty special to any firefighter, Ed has been the master mind behind some of York's pieces and its a great thing to see all your work and planning come "to life". This new SW truck is number 113... in honor of Thom... he was born on the 13th and the number has followed him on many occasions, Thom might be one of the few people that 13 is a lucky number for!!!

Here is MaryEllen and Jack, they had plans for the morning, so didn't have breakfast with us, but caught up with us before we headed out.

After all this visiting and "fire stuff" it was off to get Cole, which was our main reason for the trip. We went back to the restaurant and met up with Pam. I felt so bad, because it was easy to see how she had wrestled with this decision about Cole. But, I too feel she made a brave decision on his behalf. He looks wonderful!!! For a 13 year old dog, he is in great shape, excellent, weight, shiny coat, and certainly well loved. He was a little confused and sad when we loaded him into the truck and headed out of town. It's going to take him a few days to get settled in here again, but I think he knows that he is safe and I think he does remember being here.

So, that is pretty much the story of Southwest Harbor, and I certainly hope it won't be another two years before we get back there again, and spend some time with all our friends.

Southwest Harbor

So, what's the deal with Southwest Harbor, well, next to Williamsburg, VA and Acton, ME... it is our most favorite place to be!!! Ed and I have been going there (off and on) since 1980. It all began when we were much younger and used to attend all the firemen's musters down in Mass. There was a whole "herd" of us youngester that weekend after weekend went to the musters. This is where we met up with Sam Chisholm who lived in Littleton, MA . When Sam joined the coast guard, he was stationed to this wonderful little town, Southwest Harbor. Sam joined the fire company up there, and told them all about the musters that we had here in the southern part of the state. So, the SW fire company thought they would like to try and have their first muster, and once all their plans were made, Sam called all of us and asked if we would come and support their first muster!!! We were thrilled to do so and for many years after that, we would go to SW and then they would come here. We made many good friends, and over the years (as it goes in life) kids that came as Jr. firefighters, grew up, brought girlfriends, that became wives, and babies that grew to be teens.... etc. etc. etc. We also made other trips to SW other than fire musters, and just enjoyed watching our children grow up "together".



It's been a number of years since we've done the fire muster thing, but we still stay in touch and our SW friends are as near and dear to us as they have always been. SO... when Cole was adopted out two years back, (and completely by luck that it was a couple who lived in SW!!!!) it was a good excuse to drive him to SW and get the chance to visit, and now when Cole needed to return to us.... it was again... a good excuse to drive to SW and see everyone though I can't believe TWO years has gone by since we were there last!!!!

We arrived mid afternoon on Friday, our first stop was at Thom's video shop. We knew he was working and we could catch him there for sure. We hadn't been there more than a few minutes when Burton arrived (Thom's uncle) and wanted to show off the new SW fire station. Course, Thom wasn't about to miss out on that, so he closed his shop for a few minutes and we all went to see this beautiful new station!!! They have been in dire need of a new building and this one is grand!!! Very modern with lots of room and you can easily see the care and planning that went into it. Just as we were starting our "tour" Sam showed up (he is now the chief of the department - having never left SW) and so did Shirley (Thom's Dad). I told Ed I felt like we were celebraties!!! He are all the guys, talking things over and showing Ed all around!!! The truck they are standing in front of is the newest piece, this is"Thom's baby"... (more on that later!!!)


While the men folk chatted for a bit, I took the "girls" up behind the station for a little run. They certainly enjoyed their freedom after being in the truck for such a long ride. As you might see, the weather was a bit on the grey side, but just being back in SW, I could care less what the weather was like.

The "crowd" to see us continued to grow.. David dropped in, and then came Alberta (Thom's Mom) and after we chatted with them, we went to our motel. Pam (the lady that was sending Cole back) had made (and paid for) reservations for us. I thought this was very nice of her to do this for us... giving Cole up was a very difficult decision for her to make, and to think of us on top of that, just shows the kind of gal she is. After we got checked in, it was off to find MaryEllen (who was still at her work) and we made plans for dinner.

this is Cole

Where do I even begin with this story? Because it's going to cover the past, present and future. Guess it's best to start with the past.

Meet Cole.... he was a foster dog that we had two years ago, in fact, he was the dog we had before Charlie (Kas and Nate's dog) came into our lives. His story went something like this... Cole was turned into cocker rescue when he was two years old, I don't know why, but he was soon adopted by a lady, who lived alone and wanted a dog. For nine years the two of them lived together and from what I know, had a very happy life. Then the lady got married, and bottom line, her new husband did not like Cole for some odd reason. When they moved into their new home and re-did everything, it was decided that Cole was not welcomed into the house, so he lived in the basement and/or on unheated porch. After a bit, the lady couldn't stand having him like that, so she called rescue and said (mind you after nine years) that she needed to return him. Because he wasn't far away from me, rescue asked if we would foster him, and I said yes.

I remember the day I went to pick him up.... the lady was at work, so I "dealt" with the husband, who can I say.... did not strike a good note with me. There were a number of things, but the one that I best remember was when he saw my truck, he said that Cole would be fine riding in the back of it (he meant the bed of the truck!!!) Well, not only is that illegal in the state of Maine, but never would I put any dog... much less a cocker...loose in the back of a truck. I told him.. I would handle it. I noticed too, that he didn't have a collar and asked about that, the guy didn't have much to say, so I quickly popped this wonderful old dog (because at this time he was 11) into a nice warm truck and headed for home.... (it was February!!).

From the moment he came into the house, he was perfect!!! Got along well with everyone... even Trevor!!!and was just this delightful old dog. The one thing he wasn't great about was going outside.. not that he "did" anything in the house, just that he would run out and get back in as fast as possible. I think he really feared being left out in the cold and just wanted to be in a cozy house. I sort of began to think that I might just keep him (can you imagine that???) but, about that same time, rescue called and said they had just the home for him. A couple without children who lived up in Southwest Harbor and wanted an older dog.... (wait til you hear about Southwest Harbor in a future blog!!!) Now, I didn't' need five dogs, so I thought it was probably best to let him go on his way. Ed and I took a drive to Southwest.

Cole's new people were very nice, and I couldn't find one fault with them, except that I really did not want to let him go. I cried the whole way there, and Cole, sitting between Ed and I, kept licking the tears off my cheeks!!!! I came very close to changing my mind, even after we had driven the four hours up there. But, we left him and headed for home. For weeks, I emailed the new owners and after a bit, knew I was just being a pain in their lives, so I finally quit.... then Charlie came into our life and Cole moved to the back of my mind.

Until....... this past April, when I got a call from the lady in Southwest Harbor, telling me that shortly after she took Cole, she got divorced. And then re-married, and had (unexpectedly) a new baby!!!! She said that Cole (now 13) wasn't adjusting very well to the baby and she was worried that she might have to give him up. She wanted to know if I would take him back... but mind you, we currently have seven spaniels in the house, and this just seemed impossible. So, I went into my "instructor's mode" and gave her all kinds of ideas of how this might be handled, and told her to call anytime and I would be more than happy to "work" with her. WELL...... three weeks ago, she called rescue and said that Cole has to go, it's not working for him, her or the baby and she wants him to be happy. Who did rescue call???? US!!!! you got, (probably had it from the start) Ed and I are heading to Southwest Harbor to retrieve Cole!!!! and as far as we are concerned right now.... this will be Cole's last home. At 13, I just can't ask him to do this again.

I wonder if he will remember us, guess I will know soon enough, I hope he comes in and does as well as he did the first time, again time will tell..... but one thing will be MORE than certain... that new house in Acton... will certainly be built with "dogs" in mind... because one way or another, I seem to draw them in.......

a happy couple

A few weeks back, I talked about my friend, Julie, who raises German Shorthair Pointers, and whom I often play "puppy mid-wife" for.... but alas, due to a surprise trip to the ER with Hunter, I missed out on the delivery of her last litter..... "interesting" news, but not exactly where I am going with this blog!!!

Julie called a few weeks ago, to tell us that she was being married to her life long friend Gordon... they decided to have just a quiet little ceremony, and then celebrate their marriage with a big cookout for all their friends and family. Today was the cookout!!!! It was a grand time.. though the weather for them was about as "wonderful" has it has been for me with regards to cookouts (more on that later!!!) and I got to see lots of dear friends, and just have a great time talking and eating and seeing Julie and Gordon so happy together. We did manage to have them do a "traditional" cake cutting ceremony!!! and just wish them many, many happy years together.

Now, of course, I couldn't miss out on the puppies again.... Allie had 12 of them, and talk about cute!!! I just love this little pig pile of pointers!!!! They are all doing very well, and Julie has even begun their obedience training.... mainly working on coming when called... which turned out to be a real help this afternoon.... (remember the weather!!!) I am pretty pleased this photo came out, because when it was taken, there was no electricity in the house!! and it was as dark as night!!!!!

And I wished this picture showed more... yes, its a very wet motorcycle.... Ed's motorcycle in fact... the one that we decided to ride up to Julie and Gordon's. OK... so the sky looked a little threatening as we left York, and yes, we did for a moment, think about going back for the truck.... but the sun was out, and we don't get out on the bike much.... so we pushed on.

The closer we got to Julie's, the blacker the sky got. You all know how much I "love" thunderstorms... NOT!!!!.. and I was getting pretty nervous on the back of that bike... just as we turned up Julie's road, a HUGE blot of lightening lit the sky and a rumble of thunder that I could hear over the bike and from under my helmet..... we just pulled into the driveway and I was off that bike in no time... I didn't even stop to knock on the door, and bolted into the house!!!! Ed was right on my heels and I bearly had the helmet off, when the heavens opened and the rain poured!!! and HUGE hail stones fell from the sky!!!! Two more bolts of lightening lit the sky and hit very close to the house... and off went the power!!!!

Julie and Gordon came up from the cellar where they had been getting the dogs in.... 12 puppies plus adults... and had a rather close call with one of the lightening bolts!!! Gordon said he could feel a tingle as he opened up the puppies pen!!!! and Julie was so proud that they all ran right into the house as she was calling for them!!!!Where ever that lightening hit, it was very close to the house, and lucky for Gordon that all he felt was a slight tingle!!!!! but, there wasn't any time to be afraid, because guests were arriving and the party was beginning ! I said to Julie, it will certainly be a day to remember!!!!

Best wishes to the happy couple.... even if it started in a "shocking" manner!!!!!!!!!!

AND, about the bike... well it will spend the night at Julie's... Kassy had to drive up and rescue her parents!!!!!

more summer weekend

On Sunday, the 8th, we had a "belated 4th of July" cookout at the camp, and a "happy graduation party -Sadie". It was a fun time and we had a pretty good gang show up!!! One of our "most favorite people" is our friend Cozy. He is more like a brother/uncle than a friend, and has watched the girls grow and has played a huge part in their lives. Cozy loves the kids, he always spoils them and just enjoys being around them.

I love this picture I got of him with Naomi..... course, when I saw it, my first thought was....."who has more hair?" Naomi was quite taken with him... so I have a feeling, Coz has just added another niece to his already long list!!!!

Ed is pretty much in charge of the grill at our cookouts. Course, he likes to work with "fire".... sometimes a little too much (wonder where that comes from!!!) and I am "always" fussing at him....."don't over cook it!!" But, he really does a nice job......

Just a picture showing off some of our guests.... nothing beats a cookout with a lot of friends and family.... especially at camp.... its just the best!!!!!

Now, I can be "in charge" of the food, and make sure that everything is in its place, etc. etc... but one thing I have no control over.... the weather!!!! I guess I should have known what was coming, the way that the loons were talking..... so, even though the cookout was great fun, and lots of great food and company... there wasn't any swimming!!! and I was pretty happy to have our "tent" that fits almost perfectly over the deck. The "cooker" (as I call it) looks kind of sad without a fire in it.... course, no fire.. no s'mores..... but, I guess that means we'll just have to have another cookout at camp before the summer ends!!!! got have those s'mores you know...........

And, for the record, Joe got all the hay off the field before the rain came.... just in time, because one thing you can't bale... is wet hay!!!!

summer weekend

Friday afternoon, I packed the truck with an assortment of items.... food, duffel bag..... SIX cocker spaniels, and headed north to camp. Ed and I were pretty excited to find the hayman, Joe, and crew, on the field!!! It's funny what I get excited about, and haying this field is certainly one of those things!!! Mainly because it hasn't been hayed in at least 25 years, so it means a lot to me to have it brought back and doing what it was meant to do..... provide hay. Joe says the yield on it is "fair"..... fine for cattle, but not the best for horse hay, so he'll give us some insight on what we can do to make it better over the next few years, however its come a long way in the time that we have had it. The first summer, Ed was mowing down trees and it has taken us these past five year just to "reclaim it" as a field. That's a sad tale these days, hay fields are either being gobbled up by brush and trees... or houses... and I'm not to sure which one is worse!!!!!


Moxie is the funniest of dogs. Somehow at camp, all rules just seem to disappear, guess that's why the dogs love it so much there. I couldn't "find" her at bedtime on Friday, so went looking (its not like the camp is that big) and found her sound asleep in our duffel bag!!!! She had "smooched" the clothes into a perfect little cocker bed and was quite comfy!!! I suppose too, she figured that if we were going anywhere.... she was all packed!!!!!


and what is it about camp anyways??? sleeping is a good pass time for sure!!! Camille and Trevor take full advantage of a lap whenever possible!!!
Watching the loons is another favorite pass time. This year we have two pair on the lake, which, I am told, is a bit unusual. The four of them must have found some good fishing and spent the longest time just off our dock, diving and swimming and singing!!! I love the sound of the loons..... course if I had known what they were talking about, I might have known that rain would be coming the next day, but more about that later...............

did it..... again!!!!

Probably, most of you know, that I do not have the sense of smell. I guess I was born without it, and I do know that my grandfather (on my mother's side) didn't have a sense of smell either.

As a child, I never thought to "tell anyone" about it, I guess because I never knew it was missing. I can remember thinking "what are they talking about" when someone would comment on how something smelled, but other than that... didn't give it much thought. I do remember the day it was discovered.... boy, do I.

There was a stray cat in our neighborhood that kept breaking into the trash and peeing in my parent's carport, so my Dad, in trying to discourage the cat from coming around, filled a squirt gun with water and ammonia, and then he would "shoot" the cat whenever it showed up. One day, he left the squirt gun sitting on the kitchen table (which was unusual, because he usually kept it on a high shelf where we kids couldn't get it!!)... walking into the kitchen and seeing the squirt gun, I picked it up, saw it had "water" in it, and squirted it into my mouth!!!! Right away, my tongue and cheeks began to burn and my Mom, who showed up just about the same time... "yelled" ...didn't you smell the ammonia??? which of course, I didn't. Since she knew that her Dad didn't have sense of smell, it didn't take her too long to figure it out.

I don't know if there is anything that can be "done" about this, but I probably wouldn't bother with it if there was. For the most part, it hasn't been a problem, my family knows about this, so they are always quick to tell me if I need to know..... like, a doggie poop somewhere in the house, or something is burning on the stove, etc. And, its been pretty "helpful" because I don't know what dead skunks in the road smell like, nor do doggie "farts" in the car bother me... along with all sorts of other bad smells, that most of you can think about as you read this.

But, of course, there are major drawbacks as well.... for example, yesterday morning, I set two bags of rice on the stove to cook for the dogs.... THEN, I got busy.... blogging on the computer.... and totally forgot, until the living room began to fill with smoke (I usually set the timer to remind myself, but forgot that one too!!!) I have also come close with fires... once I set my stove on fire, and was pretty happy that my neighbor was home (Ed wasn't) because he ran to help... and another time, I set the dryer on fire and that time needed the fire department to come!!!! and when the girls were little, I always had that worry if they had a "messy diaper"........

So, its just one of those "quirky" things that one learns to live with,,,, but I must be more careful and NOT forget the timer, or leave when things are cooking.... just hope I haven't ruined yet another nice cooking pan........

Happy hay day.....

it is my opinion (such that it is) there are just some things one must do to be considered a "real horse person"... now, don't take me wrong here, if a person is taking lessons and doing whatever they can to be around horses, and working on their skills, there is a lot to be said about that... I did it for years before I bought my first horse, Silver. But once you own a horse and get the full measure of what it is all about, only then do you appreciate what this "love" is all about.

So, just what are these "things" that makes you a horseman... well, I think mucking stalls and chipping ice of out buckets on a day in January when it's about 10 degrees qualifies as one, changing your whole day's schedule so you can be there when the vet arrives, is probably another one... AND... bringing in hay on the 4th of July is definitely another one!!!!! Such was the case yesterday!!!!


Ed had all good plans to finish up the front yard, but then I broke the news that a load of hay was coming in, and he (happily) said that would be more important. So, we headed over to Teresa's and then to the hay barn to pick up a load and get it into the barn. It was fun work, the four of us work well together (Teresa, David, Ed and I) and we made short work of it!!!! Still have a few more loads to do, but this was certainly a good start.

The hay this year is real nice. The hay man (another David) said its the nicest he has seen in almost 10 years. He also said, though, if we are going to luck out on a second crop, we need some rain.... badly!!! But for this cut, its been perfect weather. I know the horses were certainly excited to get a taste of it last night.

After we finished with the hay, and had a wonderful lunch prepared by Teresa, I took advantage of some "extra hands" and got Tonka into his harness. He was a bit jumpy at first, so I asked Teresa to "get onto his head" and be my guide for awhile. He finally settled into it and we did some pretty good ground driving. I really need to do more harness work with him, but I find that I need the extra hands around and probably will for a while yet. There's more to this than meets the eye, and I have a real appreciation for quiet carriage horses. One day, Tonka and I will be in that place, but for now, it's slow and steady work.
After a day full of farm work and horses, we headed over to the Flagg's for an evening cookout. Good food all around, however, a steady rain showed up about that time, so plans for the fireworks were cancelled. All in all, it was a great 4th of July and I hope all of you can say the same.......

wilson lake

Now, that it's officially summer, it was time for a "real" camp weekend. Last year, when Ed went to the NASCAR race, I put together a "girls day at camp" and invited just my girlfriends to come!!! So, this year, I thought it would be fun to do the same thing, and I think from here on out, the NASCAR weekend will become the girl's weekend as well.


It actually turned out to be quite a busy and fun weekend at camp.
On Friday evening, when Ed arrived, he brought with him, our new
"gator".. if you remember in past posts, our old gator was stolen last winter, fortunately it was insured, so when the check came, we went gator shopping. It took Ed and I a little time to agree on "what" gator we wanted. I wanted one just like my old one... six wheels and not too fancy. Sadly, they don't make the six wheeled gators and those of you who know Ed... know he likes the "fancys".... so we met somewhere in the middle. The true test though, lies with Moxie... I needed to be sure we got one that she liked.... and as you may see from this picture, she hopped right in the front seat and was pretty happy to stay there!!!!


Now, it also turned out to be the weekend that Dale and Val decided to stay. Dale "won" the weekend at camp at our dog club auction last December, and since they were coming for "girl's day" thought they would just use the weekend stay. But, there is something that these two are not capable of...... sitting still!!!! So, when Ed began to mow around the camps and do some yard work, they both grabbed rakes and got right to work!!! (nice that we had the gator to help out) in no time at all, everything was mowed, raked, picked up ... weeded... and the place looks awesome!!!!


They at least took a little swim time afterwards..... Dale wanted to do some swimming lessons with Tucker and Sampson. Tucker wasn't too sure about the water, but Sampson (being the cocker that he is) did pretty well at his first swim attempts. I bet by the end of the summer, he will easily be keeping up with Moxie... and maybe even with Trevor!!!!

Here's Val and Sampson, enjoying some down time on the dock... in the sun....

On Sunday, the girls arrived... there was Dale, Val, Kim, Karen, Jeannie, Kassy and her friend Mary. I wished the day had been a bit warmer, it was windy and too cold for swimming, but we had wonderful food and just the best time, sitting and talking. Sadly, I don't do enough of this sort of things with my gals... everyone is so hard at work and have so many things to do, its a real blessing to take time out and .... chill!!!!!

Besides the girls, were also the puppy dogs... we had.... Moxie, Camille, Hunter, Trevor, Tazzy, Tatter, Charlie, Tucker, Sampson and Sedona...... they all got along beautifully... course, the funny thing is, the dogs knew each other, even though the owners didn't (at first) because most of them have met at my house (where else??)

Trevor is very happy here with his ball!!!!

The 4th is on a Wednesday this year, so with the holiday in the middle of the week, we plan to do a "4th cookout" on Sunday, I am in hopes that the gals will all be back again, and this time, "we" will "allow" the families to come... plus a whole lot of other friends as well.... and not only is July a real summer month.... its also another month that Nate is closer to home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!