spinning.......

Even though I have a million things to do before this trip, and really should have been doing them yesterday... I snuck away for a couple of hours and met with a "spinning teacher". I have wanted to learn how to spin for a long time, I don't really know why... I certainly have "plenty to do in my spare time", but spinning has fascinated me (besides, it will be the perfect excuse to have some sheep when we are on the farm!!!!)

Ruth has been spinning for over 20 years and has a huge collection of spinning things... a number of different wheels, all sorts of bags of fibers, carding brushes from brand new to antique.... and she herself is a wealth of information. We started with carding, (which I have done before), I didn't have any trouble with that and actually ended up with some pretty good "wads" to spin with. Then she showed me how to use a drop spindle, which was ok, but I really wanted to get onto that wheel. After I had the knack (sort of) of the drop spindle, it was onto the wheel. I have to tell you, it's trickier than it looks, she said that each wheel sort of has its own little personality and I think she might be right. "My" wheel wasn't about to cut me any breaks!!!! But after a couple of hours, "we" (the wheel and I) came to an understanding, and I managed to put a few rows on the spool.

This is what I came up with for yarn. You probably could mix it into a pair of mittens (and I might do that), but I certainly wouldn't be looking for this scane of yarn if I had to buy it in the shop!!!! Ruth said that if you don't get discourage and give up the first time you try spinning, then you will probably become a spinner. Well, giving up isn't what I plan to do, and I have the whole winter to learn. Since Dale and Karen got me knitting last winter, I think I could find a use for any yarn that I was able to spin!!!! Speaking of knitting, I made a pair of mittens out of bits of wool that I had left over from the "animals" I made. They came out kind of funny looking with all sorts of colors, but Sadie thought they were "neat" and "stole them" to use at college. So, my first pair of mittens for the season have come and gone!!!!! That's OK, we have a long car ride coming up and knitting while riding certainly is easier than cross stitch.........

barn work

Ahhh... November, the month that we have been waiting for... the month that Nate arrives home from Iraq!!!! and we can hardly wait. We head out bright and early Tuesday morning to spend a few days in Colonial Williamsburg and then onto Jacksonville for the big home coming!! It's going to be an exciting week.

But, leave it to my Ed. He decided that if we were going to get the floor poured in our new barn, it had to be done... NOW!!! He's right, because come next spring, there is no way we can get a big cement truck thru the field to the barn. So, even though his heart is still playing games with him, and the doctors have advised "do what you like, but go easy"... he has spent the whole week working on the barn and getting it ready for a floor to be poured next week while we are gone. One of the major things that had to be done, was to get these big tubes into the ground, they will be filled with cement and will be the supporting posts for the barn frame. I think he said there are 16 of them that need to be ready to go. Fortunately, brother Bill has been on hand to help out.

Along with the supports, the lines have to be in place that will carry the water, the drains and the electrical. Ed has an idea of where this all needs to be, and good thing, because I haven't got a clue!!! He knows from being around the horses enough and the barns that we "hang out in" as to where things will work and what things we will need. The little John Deere has had a good work out!!! Nice to see it on the farm, just were "deeres" belong!!!! Ed was anxious to get everything in place and packed down, we're expecting the tail end of a hurricane tomorrow, and actually, the rain will play a good part in packing the dirt down and making it firm and ready for the cement. After this storm gets by, the weather is suppose to be great next week, so it could be we lucked out and got things done in the nick of time.

And here is the princess!!! I haven't said too much about Dancer in the past few blogs, but she is doing well and pretty much rules the house!!! She actually is quite funny and follows me about just like the cockers do!!! (she is sitting on the desk even now as I do this blog!!!) Next month she will have her first anniversary with us!!! I honestly can't believe a whole year has almost gone by. In fact, I have been "blogging" for a year now. Each month, I print my blogs and tuck them away in a note book, its a neat way to keep a journal, and even more fun because of the "comments" left by friends and the pictures that go along with the stories!!!!

So, the next stories will be from the south. Colonial Williamsburg, one of our MOST favorite places in the world.... and then the "landing of the marines!!!" Josh is house sitting while we're away and I told him one of his "jobs" will be to take down the deployment flag when we call and tell him that Nate has arrived!!!!!

a very sad day

It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to Teresa's old horses... Nutty (the one with the white blaze) and Ransom (the appie). This has been a very hard decision for Teresa to make, but for those of us who have loved pets, we can understand the greater love it takes when it is time to say goodbye. Ransom hasn't been feeling well for some time, Nutty was in better health, but with both of them being well into their 30's it basically was a matter of time. They had lived together for almost 25 years, so Teresa knew that if she had to say goodbye to one, it would be in their best interest to say goodbye to both.

Today, God has two more horses in his green pasture..... running fast, grazing on good grass and finding sweet apples to eat. And we will miss their gentle presence.

visions of fall

For some reason, I think the colors of fall have been some of the best in years!!! Everywhere you look, the reds, golds and oranges just seem to call for your attention. I think it must have been a great "pumpkin" year as well (not to be confused with the great pumpkin) because it seems as though the pumpkin patches are full with almost any size and.or shape that you would want. Even though we don't have any little ones around to carve pumpkins for, I still plan on doing a couple, if for nothing else... to roast the seeds!!! I love pumpkin seeds.....

Kassy left for J-ville in the nick of time, because just days before we went, the woodman arrived with this wonderful load of wood!!! My little stove will be happy this winter!!! Now, all this wood needs to get into the shed (behind the pile) but I actually look forward to the work, something about a full woodshed before the snow flies that just sits right with me. When the girls were little, it was their job to help fill the shed, it was also a "standard rule" that you never came into the house without a arm load of wood for the box!!!! I guess Kas and Sadie will never forget it, because when it arrived... Kas happily stated.. "well I won't have to do that job this fall!!!" No, maybe not, but guess who will be happy to cuddle beside the stove when she comes to visit at Christmas time!!!!!

And we are finally on the final stages of completing the new sunroom. It sat over the summer, just too busy (and weather too nice) to be working inside. While I was in J-ville with Kas last weekend, Ed got all the windows trimmed out!! What a difference that makes!!! He was hoping to get the floor all done as well... but his heart was giving him some trouble, and he just can't go at "warp speed" when it's acting up..... so, yesterday, he started on the floor and is finishing it up as I type. (I help out where I can, but this last course seems to be a one man job at the moment)..... after the floor, just some trim around the bottom, a bit of paint on the windows... and ta-dah, we'll be done with this project. I look forward to winter afternoons, sitting there in the sun with a good book (cross stitch, quilting, knitting) and the woodstove chugging in the other room!!!!





It was "bye-bye birdies" today. Early this am, we packed the "Holidays" into crates and took them up to the butcher. Sad, I will admit, but, after having "home raised" turkey last year, I am a fan..... I do feel a little guilty "doing this to them", but balance that thought with... giving them a good home, all comforts we could provide, top quality food, and a quick and safe ride to the final destination. When we go to get them this afternoon, they will look just like the "store bought kind" and the pet side of them will be a thing of the past. We're betting on all three being at least 25 lbs. so, it will be interesting to see what they dress out at. I said my "thank yous" to them, and will say my "thanks" to the Lord when they are on the table. We're not sure if we will raise any next year, Ed thinks we might be too busy with house building... but once we are settled on the farm, I know this will be a yearly project, and most certainly, we will have a few more there as we will have the space to do.

Tomorrow, Nate begins the journey home!!!! We are SO VERY EXCITED about that!! He leaves the base that he is on and moves to another... stays there for just a few days, and then makes his way towards home. We are told that the homecoming window is still between November 10-14th....and will know more as the date gets closer! Kas is pretty much settled in J-ville, and reports that many of the other wives are moving back as well, so she is re-connecting with a number of "old friends"....... the weather hasn't changed much, but I do hope it cools some before we head south.

J-ville

Bright and early Thursday morning (around 3:30 am) Kas, Charlie, Nora and I hopped into the car and headed for North Carolina!!! Overall, the trip went very well, we did hit a traffic jam in Conn. and crawled our way thru it for two hours!!!but Charlie and Nora were good little travelers... it's hard for anyone to stay in a car for 16 hours!!! When we arrived in "J-ville" (as Kassy calls it) her friend Mandi and hubby, Patrick, had the apartment all opened up with the lights on and were awaiting our arrival.


The moment I stepped out of the car, I knew for certain that I was no longer in New England. The air hit like a blast furnace (even at 8:30 pm) hot, muggy weather.... not my kind for sure!!! And what was really odd, is for a second or two, I was sort of "lost in time"... it was the same weather we had left back in April, and when we walked into the apartment, all of Kassy's little Easter decorations were still out... I knew that six months had gone by, and yet, it hadn't!!! It was weird!!! Patrick and Mandi helped us unpack the car (thank goodness.... Kassy's computer and TV can be heavy!!!) and we were pretty much settled in within the hour. Needless to say, we were tired, but we ran out for a few "need to have's now" and then crashed for the night. (One thing about J-ville, it's a 24 hour town, and almost everything and anything is open in the city!!!)


Friday, we did some running around with Mandi. Did the grocery shopping, grabbed some lunch out, things like that. We went to take the pups for a walk (Charlie and Mandi's corgi Evie) but a rain shower sent us back in for a little bit. We did squeeze a quick walk in and then Kas and I went out to supper. The weather was unbearable (in my opinion..) very hot and extremely muggy, I was not a happy camper, and we had to give in and put the ac on in the apartment, just to get some relief from it. Even Kas, being the hot weather gal that she is, said it was almost too much for her.

Saturday, Kas and I went out for breakfast, and then I wanted to poke around J-ville. There is a great little quilt shop that I always visit, so we went there ... (got some cute patterns and a couple of "kits") then we ran over to the base and I actually did some Christmas shopping . In the afternoon, we met up with Mandi, Patrick and Evie, and another friend of Kassy's ... Rae and her aussie, Rocko. Rae wasn't too excited about bringing Rocko, as he pulls her around on the leash, so guess what..... a bit of dog training for me!!!! What a grand dog he is and a quick study.... we went to PetSmart, picked him up a prong collar, and that was that. Rae was so proud of him and is thrilled that she will be able to walk him (which is what he needs).

Kassy took us to a beautiful park not too far from her house. There are trails and boardwalks along a river, and the day was grand... a little better now that some of the humidity had lifted. The first thing I noticed at the park entrance was this sign......being the "northerner" that I am... I was worried about running into one of these alligators!!! But Kass assured me that she has never seen one there, and we would be walking along the boardwalks and not the shore!!!! The board walks are really neat, and the trails go from them along into the woods and out again. Along the way there are benches to sit on and enjoy the view.

I snapped this cute picture of the three gals and pups together!!! We did a long walk, and at the end, both "man and beast" felt good and tired!!! Saturday night we just hung out and didn't do much of anything too exciting.

And then Sunday, it was time to think about heading north again. I flew home, which went fine, but flying just isn't for me!!!! (I don't know how folks do that as part of their jobs!!!) And home sure looked good when Ed and I pulled into the driveway last night.

So, in just a couple of weeks, we make the trip again. This time Ed and I will go together, spend sometime in Colonial Williamsburg and see Nate at homecoming!!!! can't wait.....................

Harvestfest weekend

The second weekend of October, for the past 10 or so years, has been Harvestfest weekend here in town. It's a wonderful event, with lots of good food (like the ox roast sandwich and bean hole beans) and a huge number of vendors selling all sorts of hand crafted items. There is generally a "hayride" drawn by horses, music, and the historical houses are opened up for tours and people showing off their skills...like spinning!!! (which I am determined to learn how to do this winter!!!!)

The weather was just perfect, which is always good, because some years it hasn't been..... and Ed, Kassy, Sadie, Deb and I all walked up to town to enjoy the festivities. Of course we saw a number of friends, ( all the ones you know and love, but somehow never see them until you find them at Harvestfest.)

On Sunday, Harvestfest continued over at York Beach. They had a different group of crafters, a Pow Wow (which was really great) food... and hayrides again. This time, the horses giving the rides were Becky and Butch's Belgians ... Dick and Bob. They had been asked to do the rides on Saturday as well in the village, but they were already booked elsewhere, so they came just for Sunday. Well, you all know where Ed and I were.... riding behind those beautiful horses all day long. We did try to be useful to Becky and Butch (answering questions, watching traffic, etc), but I think really we just did more riding than working. I told Becky that I thought it would be neat to get a picture of the team at the Nubble Light... ( I drove her out to see it and see how far it would be to drive) she was delighted take them out and get some shots!!! At the end of the day, when the rides for Harvest wrapped up... Ed, Kas, Sadie and I with Moxie and Charlie... rode out with them. What fun that was.... cold!!!!... but fun. I got all sorts of great pictures of the team there, so did a number of tourist who got a real treat watching the team pull up . What a great day we had together.... then, to top it all off (as though it could get any better) Kas treated Deb, myself and Sharon (her mentor) to dinner at Olive Garden, as a "thanks for putting up with me thru this deployment"... after a cold, windy day of being outside ... that dinner tasted so good, and it was such fun to have the company of the "girls"!!!!!

Now, our life has certainly had a major horse theme to it lately, but we are doing other things as well.... one of which, working on the house plans and getting things together, so in January, we can apply for our building permit. You may know, we are planning on building a timber frame colonial, and since the floor plan is mostly in place, it was time to talk with the timber frame company. We met with the rep on Friday, and as luck would have it, they are putting a house up in North Hampton. On Monday, Ed and I took a drive down to see the house and talk more with the rep (who's name is Paul). This is a nice house they are building, but it's very modern and though it is a timber frame, its not to our liking. It won't be any trouble to do our house, in fact, they are quite happy to do something more "traditional".... it was nice to see the big timbers, get some ideas and go over some details of things we would like to have in our house. We need to work out some more details and begin to "crunch" the numbers!!!!We have an idea of what it might cost us, so it will be interesting to see how close we come to it (and how much of it we can afford-- it all looks easy, on paper!!!!) We hope to do a good portion of it on our own... Ed can build and "do" about anything, and not only would that be a savings, but a fun project as well.So, that's the scoop on this end. Thursday morning, bright and early... Kas and I head for North Carolina... I don't know how much blogging I will get done between now and then, and my next story, just might be from NC!!!!

footwork

All of you are going to be so tired of hearing about Tonka's driving training... but Ed and I are having so much fun with this, that it's hard for me not to "talk" about it. Yesterday's lesson was all about "footwork"... getting Tonka to place his feet and body exactly where we want him to be. This is an important part of the training, especially if (when!!!) you have a team of horses that you are working.

(And yes, Ed and I have no doubt that one day, we will find a match for Tonka and have ourselves a little team of horses!!!)

Buffy set up an obstacle course for us to play with. The work consisted of one or two steps, to place Tonka in a more "exacting" position, and/or to work around and guide him thru. It's fussy work, and can be draining on both horse and human, to work on the communication between the two. Tonka is quite sensible and patient, which is good with new drivers like Ed and myself. He tries very hard to do just what we ask of him.

Here Ed is working on stopping him and asking for a solid stand between the logs.

I am working on "step back", asking him to back up one step at a time, and standing quietly between the steps. This is a good exercise to move him in between the shafts of the cart, or place him in a spot where you could easily hook up a drag or whatever else you wanted to be pulling. After all this work, we took him out along the road again, and had a nice walk. Buffy will be keeping Tonka the month of November to do more training with him while we are away. I need to speak with Dean about shoes... which I am going to do today, as he is coming out to do trims... and on that note, I need to get moving.....

Lipizzaners!!!!!

When I was a little girl, and first in love with horses, I could tell you all about the "famous white stallions"... how they were rescued during World War II by General George Patton and his Calvary, I must have watched the Disney movie of that a "million" times..... I have never been to the Spanish Riding school to see them in real life.... but I have had the good fortune of seeing their "american cousins" twice, once when the girls were quite small and again this past Sunday evening.

They are, for sure, a beautiful breed of horse, and have a long and interesting history. If any of my "readers" are interested, you can find out all about them at www.lipizzaner.com. and if you ever have the chance to see their show, it is worth going to. The riding and music are amazing, and the horses are just wonderful to gaze upon.

They do perform some of the "Airs Above the Ground" which is a series of maneuvers developed when the horses were used in battle. According to what we were taught, only the stallions can perform these moves, because their center of gravity permits it.... mares can not do them, because their center is different due to the fact that they have the foals.... I never knew that..... and another interesting fact... is there are only six bloodlines on the sire's side (father) that all Lipizzaners stem from, even to this very day.

Some of the horses that we saw on Sunday, were from Europe and carry a different series of branding, so that it's plain to see (when you know where and how to look for it) which horses are from where. But, aside from all that..... just to watch the show, and see the work and training that have gone into it, to see these animals do moves that you wonder how they ever could... it's just the coolest thing.

Alot of the work is dressage... which is the same schooling that I am working Tonka in.... not that I ever expect him to fly threw the air (in fact, I would rather he never did !!!) but certainly some of the steps are the same, and it was fun to watch them being done in a perfect manner. Ed kept asking thru the performance... "can Tonka do that???"... and mostly I answered... "sort of !!!!" I think I got some pretty good pictures, and hope that you all enjoy them.

By the way... I understand I have two more "readers of the blog!!" Hello to Alex and Cindi!!!!!!!

pictures to enjoy....

In case you are counting...... there are two horses here!!!
And eight horses here!!!!

blessing of the animals

OK.. leave it to me, I am always doing "the different thing".. so when I saw that today was the Sunday of "blessing of the animals"... I was pretty certain that Mocha needed to be blessed. Moxie was blessed a number of years ago, and I have always felt that it was a very special thing. I convinced Kassy and Sadie to join me with Charlie and Tatter, and of course, Moxie came to... it's good to re-new your blessing!!!

After a perfect week of weather, wouldn't you know that it turned off cool and wet this morning. I wondered if they would still do the blessing, and called the church, but no answer. So, we decided to head out anyways, and just see. I could have trailered Mocha down, but wasn't sure where I would park, and it was just as easy to walk. Talk about stopping traffic.... it got so we all just started saying "yes, it's a horse" as people drove by and took a second look.

When we got to church, we were told that the services had been moved inside. I thought, "no way am I bringing Mocha into the church" so I asked Rev. Blair if she would just do the blessing outside, and then I would wait for everyone outside with Mocha. Well, nothing doing... Mocha was invited into the church with everyone else!!!!!! I decided to take the chair closest to the door... just in case, but I have to brag here..... she was better behaved than some of the dogs!!!! and actually, at one point I looked and she was resting one foot and had dozed off!!!! Needless to say, everyone was quite taken with her, and no one was that surprised to see me with a horse!!! (In fact, 80% of the dogs in church have been my students!!!!!)

As I said, Charlie, Tatter and Moxie went with us... I would have like to bring everyone, but managing that crew with Mocha probably would have been a little much.... even for me!!!!

Here is Kassy and Charlie with Rev. Blair.... Charlie sported his Marine coat, and made sure that everyone knew that his "Daddy" is in Iraq!!! They had a nice prayer for our troops this morning as well.

It was a lovely service, aside from Mocha and various dogs, a little boy brought his two hermit crabs, and a little girl brought her two stuffed sheep...... and between you and me, I think animals added to the service and it should be done a lot more often!!!!!! "Thank you Lord, for the animals that bring so much to out lives".......

road work

On Wednesday, we met with Buffy again for a driving lesson. The day we had with Becky and Butch was amazing, but in the training of a horse (or any animal for that matter) nothing is "seated" in one doing. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done... mostly on my part I think. My driving skills need improvement.... I am finding that driving is a lot like riding and driving isn't anything like riding!!!! so, it's a work in progress.

This week, Buffy wanted to get us out on the road a bit. Not that driving a horse on the road is the greatest idea, but, you need to be able to do it. You never know when a road might cross your path, or you might need to use parts of it to get to another spot. There wasn't a ton of car traffic on the road, but enough to test the waters a bit. Tonka managed them beautifully... even an oil truck. Most drivers of cars, are fairly respectful of a horse, and maybe seeing Buffy and I tailing behind, they got the idea that we were in a training session.

Thursday, when I had my riding lesson, I told Laura that I would be happy to bring Tonka over and rake out her arena..... it would be good practice for us, and useful "work"... so I think we might try and get over there on Saturday.

Today, however, I had a very pleasant surprise!!! Ed and I took a run up to Meader's (where we got Tonka's harness) and got the next (and hopefully.. one of the last) things needed for all this driving business... a CART!!!! this is a nice sturdy cart and will be great for training and just driving in general. Someday, I hope to have a nice wooden "Meadowbrook" cart, but this one will more than do what I need it to....... SO... now we start the work of putting all the training parts and pieces together........

a love story

Today is Kassy and Nate's second wedding anniversary, and their story, though just beginning, has a script all it's own. They were engaged in March 2005, when Nate had graduated from boot camp. With the help of his folks, (Deb had the ring in her pocket,) Nate proposed just after the graduation ceremony. We knew it was going to happen, because of out respect and tradition, Nate had phone Ed to ask permission to do so!!!!!

A wedding date was set for September 17, 2005, and wedding plans began. The search for the perfect dress, the right invitations, the bridemaids, groom's men, limo....... the wedding shower... everything was in it's place. Then.....Hurricane Katrina rolled thru and hit the southern part of the states. Chaos and havoc resulted, things were out of control, and per their history... the Marines are called in!!! Ten days, before their wedding, Nate phones home to say he is shipping out, his unit has been called, and it's time to go to work!!!! You can imagine the "blow" to the families!!!! Keeping our utmost pride with regards to our young marine, and consoling a bride who is now without a wedding!!!! Dozens of phone calls to make, postponing everything and with no future date in mind!!!! September 17th came and went without fan fare.

October 1, 2005, Kassy's 20th birthday..... still pining for her Marine, her birthday didn't seem very special. Then....a phone call, Nate is back in North Carolina and making plans to be home... and can they have a wedding within the week. The "parentals" spring into action, and within 24 hours, wedding plans, slightly scaled down, are back into play.

October 4th, Tuesday, the day starts cool and foggy, but nothing is going to dampen the spirits of this young couple and their family and friends. It's an out door wedding in Rye, by the ocean, and as the wedding vows are being said, the fog lifts and the day turns off sunny and bright. A good omen for a new life together.

There is just one little glitch... the marriage licence issued for September has run out, so the ceremony goes on... the couple run to the town hall for a new licence.... head out for a short honeymoon, and return a few days later to have all the "official paperwork" taken care of.

I like to tease Kas, a marriage that begins with two different dates, (9/17 and 10/4) but paperwork that doesn't make if official until 10/7... one begins to think when is the anniversary for sure!!!!! Kas and Nate decide that it is the 4th... and so it shall be. Now, the next big thing will be when they have the chance to celebrate it together, for that is yet to happen. Last year Nate was out in the middle of the ocean on an air craft carrier and this year in Iraq (packing up to come home!!!) They say the third is always the charm... so, that will make it next year!!!! Either way.. they have the love and support of each other and their families as well......

Happy #2 Kass and Nate.... we love you!!!!

Guten tag, Oktber!!!!

"Red and gold leaf-fire roars from Canada to Connecticut shores, harried by the snow's pale horsemen, like a horde of howling Norsemen. Sunshine stems the tide, but time is on winter's side"... the Farmer's Almanac
I love the month of October!!! I love the coolish weather, the display of leaves, and it seems like October has so many things "to do".... fairs, festivals.. and birthdays!!!! October 1st was (is) Kassy's birthday, and some how she has turned 22.. (still trying to figure out when that happened). Sadly, she and Nate have never spent her birthday together since they were "together"... the first year he was in boot camp, and since then, he has been deployed somewhere in the world!!! Even though she knew that going into "their relationship" it still puts a damper on things. But, this should be the last one that they are apart, and in the meantime, Charlie is there (as always) to assist her in blowing out the birthday candles!!!!! In just a couple of weeks, Kas and Charlie pack up and head to NC.. the mail to Nate has been closed down, which is a good sign that the "boys" are beginning to pack up and wrap up their work in Iraq!!!! Please, continue to keep Nate in your prayers (and the rest of the unit) as they head back into "real life" and make the adjustments that go with that. Also, pray for the units that are arriving to relieve Nate's unit and that their job over the next six months will go smoothly and safely.
Now, let me take a minute and show off my new sweatshirt!!! I hope you can all see it well, because it has the greatest design on it..... it shows a gal and her dog, in a cart being pulled by a horse and the sign on the cart says... "therapy in session"!!! Deb found this at the Deerfield Fair and bought it for me, because of my "rough week" with Ed being the hospital!!! Leave it to Deb, she is one of those people who can find the absolute best gifts, and gives them at the absolute best time to do so!!!! It fits perfectly and I have so enjoyed wearing it over the past few days!!! my horse friends have noticed it right away!!! and you can be sure I will be wearing it to my driving lesson on Wednesday (today).

Ed is doing well, he is working very hard at "staying honest" with all the things he needs to be doing.... he's doing a good job!!! Cole has certainly been enjoying the short one on one walks that he and Ed are doing together!!! and I feel less guilty about taking out the "crew" and leaving Cole behind!!!

Why am I "hanging" this puppy?? Well, actually its part of a "temperament test" that I did for my friend Maxine and her litter of English Cocker pups. It's a neat test, and you do it on the 70th day of a puppy's life. It's designed to show a puppy's base temperament and can be a great help in placing a puppy into the right home. We test things like a puppy's tolerance to noise, sight, pain, and willingness towards people. You might be surprised at the different reactions of puppies that have all come from the same litter!!! This particular exercise is a "trust" one... you dangle a puppy for 30 seconds, and watch to see if he remains relaxed, or if he panics, or tries to fight you. This little guy was great and just "hung out" until the test was done. All the puppies did really well, but some certainly had a little "more fire" than others!!! This world of "dog training" has so many interesting parts to it, and I just never know from one student to another what I might find!!!

So, I suspect there will be some fun blogs to report on this month... not that blogging isn't always fun!!! I so enjoy keeping this... and I do believe that the 31st will be my one year anniversary at blogging... have to check on that.....

bye bye September.....

Here is it, another month down..... and so we bid a farewell to September!!! It's been a memorable month.... and a nice introduction to the fall season. I am excited to think that Nate is about six weeks away, and I secretly hope that October will hurry pass like September did!!!

I have received so many emails with concerns about Ed... he is doing well, thank you all very much. We have made some big changes around here already, the trick is... KEEPING the changes!! But, this heart business is too serious to "fool around with" and I intend on keeping to the good stuff!!!! I miss him when I do barn chores (he's suppose to keep it " light" for a few weeks) we were having great fun driving Tonka together, and I want him back as soon as possible!!! Ed's suppose to take a few short walks each day, I have put Cole in charge of that!!! Cole can't go as far as the rest of the crew, but he's starting to put some weight on... so, I asked Ed when he takes his walks to please take Cole along with him. They went out this afternoon and Ed said he had to take a little rest, (which put me into panic mode!!!) but the rest wasn't for him... it was for Cole!!!!!

We got to visit yesterday with Becky and Butch!!!! They are bringing the Belgians down for Harvestfest weekend (October 13/14) and on Sunday, they will be doing rides at York Beach... if any of you "readers" are in the area that day, go take a ride... Becky said the rides will be free!!!! Anyways, they came down to see where they will be staying and what the route will be, and afterwards, popped over to see what we were up to.

I just like them more and more!!! I love Becky's stories about their horses and such, and I like to pick Butch's brain about horse training. I have asked him (when we get to the farm),if her would consider doing a beginner's driving clinic.... he just gives me a shy smile and a shrug, but I know he could do an amazing clinic...course that will be a couple of years before we could really do it, so I have some time to work on him!!!!!

Tomorrow is October and Kassy's birthday... tonite we are doing a little family celebration, which I will tell you all about later!!!! So, as the Flagg's are walking thru the door, I must fly........

be-fuddled!!!

Life is always interesting, to say the very least. But, when that curve gets thrown at you.... it's easy to become be-fuddled, and I am so glad that I know the Good Lord is the overseer of my life, because without Him, I would be a wreck!!!

Tuesday, I had a grand lesson with Tonka and Laura, we are working on the "half pass" -- a fairly difficult move of dressage. He's learning and I'm learning and that's a hard combo to begin with, but we worked together and even had a couple of decent moves by the end of the lesson. I have Tonka on the trailer and am just leaving Laura's when my phone rings, and it's Sadie!!! She is home... which is odd, but odder still -----she is at the hospital..... with ED!!!!! Sadie came home because she only had one class for the day, she called Ed to tell him what she was up to, and found her Daddy at the hospital.... here's the story

Ed had a regular doctor's appointment, everything is looking OK, and he knows that he needs to work on getting some weight off, and take better care with his blood pressure and sugar levels. He has lost a little weight since selling the company and being under my "watchful eye" .. that part is good, but what wasn't good.... is his heart beat. His heart is (was) out of rhythm and so, the doctor admitted him to the hospital!!!! I rushed Tonka home, and headed to the hospital and found Ed in the ER hooked up to a "million" wires!!!! After watching his heart for a bit, "they" admitted him for a few days.

Ed came home last night-----with meds,(and lots of prayers!!!) they have been able to get his heart back in a regular beat, (though the fact that they might have to "jump start" it again is not out of the picture just yet) and the list of do's and dont's, medications, and doctor's appointments are going to be the ruling factor of our lives for at least the next few months!!!!!

I find myself going back and forth from being totally panicked to the "boss who wants to control everything" he does.... it's an odd thing. So, it's day by day. I feel so blessed that we know there isn't any damage to his heart (because who knows how long its been out of beat -- his stress level over the past month has been very high) and with careful work , getting back to a healthy lifestyle, we know that will do wonders for sure!!!! OK... next chapter..........................

success!!!!

And if the weekend wasn't "fun enough" with Dave's birthday, the Common Ground Fair and the Acton Apple Festival.... we packed Tonka up on Sunday morning and headed to W. Sumner to see our friends, Becky and Butch. They had offered to spend some time with us and see what Tonka knows about his driving. What an amazing day!!!!

The first thing Butch did, was a little round pen work, to get to know Tonka and see what his manners are like (fortunately, his manners are very good!!! thanks to good trainers who have advised me well!!!) Then Butch likes to do this lesson using a blue tarp. It's to show him what the horse's tolerance level is, and to build up a trust factor between him and the horse. Tonka was quite sensible about this and it wasn't too long, before Butch could all but wrap him up in the tarp and still make him work. Very interesting lesson, and I learned a lot, and plan to practice that one myself!!!

After maybe an hour or so, and a little rest, we put Tonka's harness on, and Butch did some ground driving with him. And it wasn't too long after that, when he hitched him first to a single log and then his "scoot". Tonka pulled it like a pro, and Butch feels that somewhere in his past, Tonka has definitely been a "driving horse" . His skills are "rusty" and I have a lot of finishing work to do with him... and with me... but overall, Tonka has the knowledge and we just need to continue on with it. But the best was yet to come, before I hardly even knew it, Butch had Tonka hitched to his training cart, and asked Becky to hop in and do a little steering, while Butch stayed on his head. And after that, Butch hopped in the cart and did the driving.

I could hardly believe it when I heard the words "Your turn!!!" And here it is..... I am driving my horse!!!!!

On top of that, Ed drove him as well, and then, because we had a tired horse and everything was going so well, Becky hitched up the Belgians and the four of us took the horses on the trail. Butch and I took Tonka, and Ed and Becky had the Belgians!!!! It was a perfect fall afternoon, leaves just beginning to turn, miles of dirt roads, and the sounds of horses!!!!! I really doubt there is anything much better than that!!!!! So last winter when we ordered that harness, and I had the dreams of driving, it's just amazing when you see it all come together. I still have a couple of goals in mind, and know that the work has just begun... but this kind of "work".... I'll do any day!!!!!!

fall news

After having a wonderful day at the Common Ground Fair on Friday.... Saturday we found ourselves in Acton at the "Apple festival". Acton has several large apple groves, and each fall the groves open up for picking and start the season off with the Festival. There are craft fairs, and suppers, hayrides, music... all sorts of fun things to do and see. The weather has been simply amazing, and makes it so you just have to be outside and attending all these things!!! The apples this year are beautiful and the trees are full, so I think it must be a good season... and I can tell you, the apples taste grand!!!!

Along with the apple festival.... it was also Dave's birthday!!!! So, Saturday evening the family all got together at the "Texas Roadhouse" for dinner and celebration!!! If you haven't gotten over to the Roadhouse, and like a good steak... it's the place to be. We knew all about it, because we have been to one in Jacksonville when we go to see Kas and Nate. You will get a good meal there, but don't expect it to be quiet!!!! We weren't too sure how they "honor" one's birthday there, but we knew it would be "something special"... so a tip to our waitress about the birthday boy, was certainly in order!!!!

And here's what they do.... you have to sit in the "birthday Saddle!!!!" Course Dave always looks good in the saddle, ( we're used to seeing Buddy as well) so, it wasn't any trick for Dave to "saddle up"!!!! Needless to say, when you do this, the whole restaurant knows "it's your birthday!!!" Dave (always the good sport!!!) gave me a big happy grin as he celebrated his birthday and was "back in the saddle again!!!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.......DAVE!!!!!

Common Ground Fair

A long time ago, when the girls were very little and I first started boarding dogs, I used to take care of a little dog named Blake. The reason "why" I took care of him, was because his "parents" always had a vendor at the Common Ground Fair. They always had such wonderful things to say about this fair, and would say to me..."you should go and see it!!!" but as I told them, if I was off seeing the fair, they wouldn't have anyone to take care of Blake!!!!! However, I did tell myself, that one day, I would go and see the Common Ground Fair..... and yesterday, was "that day"

Ed and I got up fairly early in the morning and got on the road. It's about a two and a half hour trip, but I can say, it was worth the time and effort to get there. The fair prides itself on two very important factors.... organic and agricultural.....and it is at that. You won't find any rides, cotton candy, or blooming onions... but you will find lots of animals and " natural things," like wool for spinning, yarns, quilts, bee keeping items... etc. etc... and for food, all organic and VERY yummy!!!!

We watched the sheep herding demo... those border collies were some impressive, saw lots of livestock, including this beautiful "highland cow", mules, draft horses, lots of llamas and alpaca.. bunnies, chickens and all the sort of farm animals...

We sat in on a bee keeping lecture.. in fact, there are all kinds of lectures that go on all day.... saw one being done on sheep, another on "natural logging of your land", one on keeping alpaca., and the list goes on and on. It's what I would call a real learning fair, and if you ever had a question on farming or some part of it, you can probably get the answer there. They had a whole section on things like building a "green" house (environment friendly), using solar power or wind power, composting, growing your own food (or raising it for that matter!!!) There were lots of animals being put to good use, like this nice team of mules showing how a barley field can be cut by hand....

And look at this wonderful old thresher.... I don't recall what "year" it is, but it was run by some sort of engine ... possibly a one-lunger back in the day- and it was all belt driven. Course now, we look at it and wonder how they ever figured out something like that, but I bet when it was brand new and showed up on your farm, it was thrilling to think you wouldn't have to do all that threshing by hand!!!! The day went by so quickly, and we didn't even notice how tired we were from walking...until we sat down!!!! There were just so many wonderful things to see and do. On top of that, the weather couldn't have been any better, it was actually on the hot side, certainly did not feel like the middle of September!!!! and just a grand day to be out and about. So, to quote my friends from all those years ago..... "the Common Ground Fair, yes you really need to take the time to go!!!!!!!!!!"

mode of travel.....

On Sunday, after our exciting night at the Rochester Fair... Ed, cockers, and I headed up to Acton to check on the camps and bring the gator home.... after "losing" (stolen!!) our other little gator last winter, this one will winter at home!!!! So, before we loaded it up... Mox and I had to take a little spin down the camp road. She is SO funny and just loves to ride in all sorts of vehicles..... one minute she might be cruising the lake with us in the boat, and the next, sitting in the shotgun seat of the gator, riding in style!!!! I can even take her in the beetle with the top down and she never moves!!!! Needless to say, when she wasn't feeling good a few weeks ago... neither was I!!!!

And here she is..just being silly. The dogs absolutely love being at camp.... they all act like puppies when we are there.... I can only imagine what it's going to be like for them when we are finally settled in on the farm!!!!! We have the "blessings" of the town to begin work on the barn, and it's a real goal to have a building up before snow flies!!! With the permit in hand, it's now time to start shopping for lumber and begin our game plan. Ed wants to do most of the work himself, he loves building projects!!!!!

OH and get this.... we have in our neighborhood, a pack of coyotes!!!!! Kas heard them a couple of weeks ago, and I said something to one of the neighbors, and she says she has heard them all summer.... (I haven't!!!!) last night, or rather this morning, about 2 am Tatter was pitching a fit in her crate. I finally got up and yelled to her to hush, and there was "no hushing" to be done.... just when I was about to go and "deal" with her, she settled down, and I went back to sleep. Well, today another neighbor came over and asked if we had heard the ruckus in the night... we said, no, but then I realized it was about the same time that Tatter was barking.. so she must have heard them..... I can't believe that we would have them here in the village...... but since I have had a bear in the back yard... I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. On top of that, the deer are back at the old apple tree, we had three of them the other night... I am hoping to get a picture to post, they are so pretty and I love to watch them eat the apples........