Saturday, January 6, 2024

Happy New Year!

A day or two late… 

Since I have been forced to enter the realm of people more than horses, life has changed. Being able to observe them easily, I think they are fascinating. I spent a lifetime studying horses and ignoring humans…but they are even more fascinating to watch. Sit in an airport and just look around, you’ll see what I mean. 

Told you that so I could tell you this… I decided to not continue seeing the guy that I had met. As I got to know him better I realized that he was a little more troubled than I wanted to deal with. We parted ways and few weeks ago. He was very wrong for me. This is why I have never been one of those women who go around professing their love to people after knowing them for a few months.  That’s lust or desperation to me. Nah, I enjoy being with those special to me and observe. He checked off most of the boxes in my ‘ want’ list but as I got to know him more, he was not willing to give me any time.  That among other things made me feel like I was marching in place. A relationship has to move forward or it stagnates, in my opinion. So we parted ways and after a few days I realized that I wasn’t into him as much as I thought. And that it was okay., 

I was laid off from work and am trying to get through to April without finding a job. This is the first year I have ever dealt with seasonal work. My carriage business was available until the new year  kicked in and usually it was nasty weather from then until Spring. Finances are tight but they have always been.  I have a small business going , well, almost going, on Facebook. Miscellaneous hand painted rocks, some suncatchers , etc.  A couple of nice photographs of mine and some other prints by some of my favorite artists. If you’re interested, and a part of Fb, the page is ‘Winter Wytch Designs ‘. I’ve done a few custom orders and they were great fun. 















Those are a few. πŸ˜‡

In the meantime, I have met another man who is into horses. This is the second time I have dated another horse person, so we will see. He’s very nice..good sense of humor and smart. He’s supposedly retired but he is still working every so often. He checks in every  evening and we have a lot of different things to talk about. He knows a bunch about horses and loves the ones who are there now. 

 All in all, the new year has been a good one. Only a week into it! πŸ‘πŸ‘Stay tuned as we learn more about each other.

Oh! IT IS SNOWING!!  The first snow of the winter. Here are a few photos of a city snow. I much prefer a country setting, but it is what it is. I have learned how to use the iPad to take photos 😁😁

Have a  wonderful  weekend 🩡🩡









Sunday, December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas to everyone

 12/24/2023

Firstly again I have to apologize for my not being present much. Just when I think I have things under control I don’t.Anyhow I’m back and have a lot of things to write about.

                     Tonight is a special night and this is one of my favorite moments…


I used to tell my students that I was on personal terms with Santa. I had delivered him to many towns so we were pretty good friends. They would look at me with wide eyes and in wonder. How could I know Santa!?

 It turned out that one of the Santa’s had left a black glove behind and I would show it to the disbelieving.  It wasn’t long before they too were asking about him. This is truly my favorite time of the year. When true magick happens and love abounds. 

  Did you know that all animals are able to actually Talk on Christmas Eve? Yes they do ,and we are able to understand them!  It was and still is a beautiful time of the year. Cold days and colder nights ; maybe it will snow? So bundle up and keep warm, head to the barn or wherever you beloved horses are and sit quietly. As the clock strikes midnight, listen very carefully…. Hear them? They are talking amongst themselves . Hear them? Listen  closely. If you are lucky enough to be loved so deeply by them, You will be able to talk with them. Just maybe. 

Hear the Christmas bells ringing in the distance?  Be oh so still and tell God thank you for being allowed to come to a barn just like many years ago when a couple needed a place to stay. A barn is an incredible place to be on Christmas Eve, because it’s where a special babe was born thousands of years ago. We horse folks are very lucky to be able to be in touch on a Very magical night. Can you imagine us all sitting quietly in our barns, maybe holding hands and listening? πŸŽ„πŸ©΅πŸŽ„❤️ πŸŽπŸŽ„πŸ΄

                                                  Shhhhhhh, can you hear them?

 

                 πŸŽ„❤️πŸŽπŸŽπŸŽ„ Merry Christmas…. 

                 And sending love to you all πŸŽ„πŸ©΅πŸŽπŸŽπŸŽ„❤️




Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Men in general.

 7/25/23

Men,Eh? I have always liked them a lot. Not because they are good to go places with,but because they are more interesting than many women.

Women are to competitive and sometimes right rude about it. I imagine many of you have been in the “ I have more than you “ game… You know, they have more men, if they are married, or not , they have more money,diamonds, bigger farms,deeper pockets. Ohhhh,a higher paying job, a bigger barn,fancier trailer, etc. If horse oriented, it is worse I think. Maybe I just have watched it happen so much in the world of horses. Jealousy is crazy with women. Heaven forbid you talk to a man who is standing beside you at a horse show. 

Well I guess I don’t know how to play the game Or more truthfully, I don’t care. . I was never impressed by money. Yep, it can buy you anything you want but, I usually want to get to know the person inside. It’s what I look for.  Can’t be bothered otherwise.

Okay, back to the men. Don’t worry, guys, I still think that you are great. In my last few years travels I have chatted with and met some Very odd guys.  I think I mentioned that I decided to join a dating site and see how it goes.  When the subscription ran out I didn’t renew it. 

Early on, there were men who were incredibly picky about the ladies they talked with. They wanted a Barbie girl and at our age, those women didn’t exist anymore. I found myself thinking “ ya gotta be kidding me!” Oh, some even had body measurements listed. If you don’t have a PhD,then you’re out. Good grief! I was learning about what I would not want to meet. One guy kept sending me messages and wanting to talk to me. Turns out he wanted an “older woman “ to teach him about sex. HELLOOO?  πŸ€ͺ The guy was in his early 50s. If he didn’t have a clue, then he was going to have to learn on his own. Another one didn’t want to see me again because I didn’t dress up like a fashion model for a lunch date …. Ummmm at a crab shack? Sorry pal. It began to get funny as the requests showed up. 

Unfortunately, I am a very kind person who has been used a lot. I should have applied my rules a little more but I started feeling bad for some of them. Wrong. One was looking for a woman who was a perfect choice for him. I really don’t think he actually knew what he was looking for, but I wasn’t it. Turns out, I’m glad I wasn’t.  A few guys I clicked with but it was distance or other things that kept us being friends.  There was one guy who lived a long way away and basically wanted phone sex. Ummmm, no thanks. One man I met was not a part of the site and I liked him a lot. Ha, turns out that his wife didn’t ‘understand ‘ him…. ‘ see ya’.  

 One needs to be careful when meeting people anymore… Not just sit and talk in a car, or whatever. I’m aware of the fact that there’s some real sick people who are out there. Scammers run rampant and I have learned to despise them when they show up. What a waste of time and air space.   The pill droppers are not for me at all.

So, I guess I am a picky person who is not going to‘settle’.  It’s been said that I am,from many men, lately. They’re right. I am picky and never going to make mistakes I made in the past. Which leads me to the man who is slowly stealing my heart. So far, he’s been great. Summer is a time to get out door things accomplished and the man is busy. We are getting along famously and there’s no frantic rush to get together every single free moment which I am enjoying immensely. Thanks to this amazing man who is becoming a good friend, I am finding myself smiling a lot more often. 😁🩡





Thursday, July 20, 2023

Regards con’t: Decision Made

 7/20/23

The choice was easily made. Regards was hopefully going to be a mama. She had been letting me know that she was feeling a little bit sore after her jumping classes, so of course I let the boss know. We had a equine vet available for pictures to show us how her tendons were after her class.

Regards had been winning every class she was entered in and loving it. I knew by then that we were to go walking about before she would allow me to wash her off. She was such a show off. Anna had brought her to the point where Regards was racing fit and then added in a lot of gymnastics. To Regards,it was like a game that was so easy. She was  incredibly athletic. I wished I could have met her before she had beef almost wrecked mentally and physically. Wow! 

The last show for us,  and luckily it was close. Once she was all tacked up, Anna said that she could feel her mare’s excitement . It was time and they were in second place. Regards jumped each first round jumps easily, clearly enjoying herself. There were only two horses left to decide the winner.

The heights were raised for a jump off between another great open jumper and herself. Two had a very tricky take off angle and almost enough space to make it, so long as a horse was easy to turn and rate their speed. Two were monsters. It was going to cut the top horses from the lesser horses for sure. 

I could see Anna and the other horseman talking about it while waiting for their call. All I could do at that point was to wish them both the best of luck.  Due to Regards being a fraction of a second slower, was to go first. They entered the ring and picked up a canter, while Anna let Regards see the heights. Regards shook her neck and head as she was saying.   “ Let’s go, human… I have work to do!”

Anna aimed her towards the one simple jump and they sailed over it. Next was the first of the two tricky jumps. I knew Anna was glad she’d taken the time to look at those two. She swung Regards out to one side to get a better take off and left it up to her great mare to bring the ribbon ( and the huge check) home. 

They thundered towards it in complete unison and I swear Regards kicked her turbo booster into action. Leap, fly, land ,one stride .. leap, fly and land. She’d done it. One more to go….. they cantered around directly into the big fence. No easy angles for those two. With a Big grunt of effort Regards took off, cleared the huge jump and one stride after, she threw in a giant buck to let it know that she could have gone higher.

The whole stadium went wild. Anna asked Regards to slow down and then to walk. Anna was never a person to show many emotions, but I could see she was in tears and rubbing her wonderful mare on her neck, then top of her rump.  They exited the ring to allow the other team to have a good round.

I was drooling over the horse in the ring … he was spectacular. I had seen him before and he was absolutely perfect in confirmation. A huge deep bay, with a stunning head… wow, just wow. They took the first jump easily but came in the tricky ones a little bit too fast and had a pole down. The rider was done. He slowed his gorgeous horse down and took his hat off to honor the winner. 

Later when it was time to receive the awards, they both entered the ring together and cantered their way around the ring. They stopped in the middle and did a typical dressage move… hats off, and bowing their heads to the crowd, instead of the judge. There was some music playing in the background and when it was turned up, it was “We are the Champions “ by Queen. Anna and Regards turned around and went to the award presentation area, after she gave the second place winner a kiss on his cheek.  

 After all the excitement had settled down a little, we were able to talk about the class and how Anna thought it went. She was so incredibly amazed at Regards’ effort that each time she began talking about it,the happy tears began. Regards herself was still high from winning and was being an amazing horse. Allowing so many face pats and praise from her fans. She loved it. She would grab a mouthful of hay, then stick her head out of her stall for more attention. 

Something caught her attention and she lifted her head to see who it was. I had learned that her competition was named Sternlicht. He was a Hanoverian stallion who was at stud a few hours drive from the farm. I got to meet him and I was in love. Oh my gosh, he took my breath away. We chatted with the rider and when he walked away! I told my ‘family’ what I thought of him. 

 We had gotten the bad news about Regards’ tendon deterioration, it was decided that she would be retired from the show ring. The vet had let us see the injured tendon photos and they would not have lasted much longer…

We all agreed that the second place stallion was one stunning animal. Then my boss asked me I thought he would be a good stallion for Regards. 

??? !!!! 

I was stunned.. Really??? Everyone was nodding their heads ‘yes’.

 Come February, Regards was hopefully going to be a new mama… I could barely wait .

























Thursday, July 13, 2023

Regards…. And other things

 7.13.22

Finally, I had a full time job. Before I was morning help, but since I was being much more than that,  I was told that I would be getting full time pay and also an basic health insurance policy. I was totally pleased!   That was going to be very helpful for me to catch up on my bills.

 I had been working with one of my personal horses and she was lookin so very good lately. So good that I thought we could be ready for an easy day trip to a show. I just wasn’t sure though. I owned Appaloosa horses and loved them so much. One was moving into a wonderful English pleasure horse and one other was just so sweet under western tack.

Jellino had been showing in baby classes and he was loving it. What a complete show off he was! He would jump so high that it was like he knew this was for  ‘ babies’.  Each time he’d return happily and full of energy ,Anna had been saying that he might be more interested in eventing than a boring show ring. She was not sure if the damage that had been done before would rear its ugly head or not. This was one of the reasons I loved working here. The horse’s health came first… not the status or ribbons. This is why Regards had been held back before her re-entry to the world of show jumpers. To be completely sure that she would have a good time, and she did. In fact she still was. 

My little monster was growing like a weed. Every day she changed. Butt high for a couple of days, then she’d level off and be gorgeous.  Then it was back to “ Omg, Who are you today ?”  One day I was grooming her (she adores being groomed, especially when she is muddy) and was trying to get her tail a little neater when I noticed that she had a white area starting from the top of it and traveled about half way down. Sure enough, it was white hair… I asked my boss about it and he told me it was inherited from Cliche’s side … many decades ago a foal had been born with a white area in his tail.Try as they might, it would not go away. Owners had tried braiding it at shows, pulling the white hairs out so they wouldn’t show up… just didn’t work. I thought the white hairs in my filly’s tail were cool looking. In fact I told her that she reminded me of a little skunk. Oddly enough,that became her barn name. “ Skunk “. She was so incredibly friendly and kind,that there were times when I could not believe she was so young. She would pick up all of her feet for me, she’d let me brush her all over ,bend her little ears almost inside out, rub her gums and loved to get her tummy scratched. We’d go out for walks with mama and she’d have the best time with the snow. I could say the word to back up or to walk on with out touching her. Such a smart beautiful baby she was becoming.  Cliche’ was a great mama too.  She was patient but when little Skunk was wrong, she was firm in her discipline.

One morning, I was having some coffee with my boss’s daughter and she asked me if I was going to breed Regards,what stallion would I choose.After almost choking on my coffee I got out “ I have no idea “. Anna grinned at me and said that I should think about it because it was going to be a family decision. A “family “ decision? Wow. They wanted Regards leave a legacy for them after she was gone. Well, I didn’t have a clue but I was going to have to think about it all.  Hmmmm, a Hanoverian mare would match perfectly with What? Yes, I certainly needed to think about that. I needed some options to consider too…. 





Wednesday, July 12, 2023

A short one tonight..

7.12.23

 I am liking this man more and more in getting to know him.  We seem to agree on  important things the same. You know,like ethics, morals , and standards. I’m feeling like if this doesn’t become something “serious “, we will end up being close friends.Of course I am hoping for the first one.  I get called daily as we live a bit of a distance from each other. ( around 50 miles) It’s not close enough to just pop over for the evening. πŸ₯² He lives closer to where I work though which is cool.

He’s funny, smart and knows a lot of things that I have no clue about. He’s close to his family and I like that..  Plus the man has a Harley. Woooohoooo. Oh and he’s taller than me too! It’s a stay tuned sort of thing and we’re not in a hurry . Another thing I prefer πŸ˜ƒ

All in all, it’s been a wonderful time getting to know who he is, really.

 Subject change… omg I was so hot today!  Summers don’t agree with me anymore. I now have the typical Farmer Tan. Just my arms are tan and that is it. It’s been many years since I have not been able to get more than that. Ah well,it’s been a great week and the horses are behaving, so life is going great!


                                            

                                                    Have a great day tomorrow 

  



Saturday, July 8, 2023

Regards, continued & a Surprise.7?

7/8/23

The moment we got to the stall, there was a big crowd all wanting to see the super hero. She’d out jumped one of the best open jumpers on the East Coast.  Regards was ever so pleased with herself, she bounced all the way back to her stall. 

It was my job to give her a bath to get the sweat off of her coat and to help cool her off. Normally she loves a bath but today she was very anti-shower. We took a long walk around the show grounds to let her relax some and tried it again. No problem this time… it seemed like the “Jumping Queen” had appeared. 

Noooo, I don’t get a bath until I have been shown off to everyone’

Hmmmm….. seems as though the one that jumped over the moon (almost) was declaring the rules… silly ol me. Once she was dry and in her stall, I wanted to wrap her legs. Just a good rubdown and standing wraps. Hahaha, I would get one almost finished and she would reach her face down and pull the bandage loose. I would have to begin all over again. She’d offered to do that back at the barn but never as much as today. I told her that she was being worse than Jellino… she paid no attention, gazing down the aisle.

We loaded the up and got on the way home. When we arrived the whole farm was nickering and whinnying, saying “hello!”. Finally we were all done and I headed home to my little house.

The next morning, I was doing the normal routine turning some horses out and feeding the horses who were retired, living outside. Mucking up manure, setting up haynets and all that comes along with caring for a barn full of horses. The weather had been getting colder now as winter approached. Soon it would be Christmas time and I was excited about the gifts I had for the Boss, his wife and Anna.  It was going to be the best, I thought to myself.

My favorite mare was so heavy in foal that she looked like she was going to explode. She had two more weeks to go in her pregnancy still. She was miserable and it was like she couldn’t get out of her own way. She’d stand by herself so the other mares would not bother her. I tried to spend extra time with her and I think she enjoyed it. Plus she got all of the best carrots.

Jellino was flourishing in his new life. He wasn’t sore at all and acted like a big nincompoop when he thought he could get away with it. One day he decided that Jellino was to come in first rather than 4th… so he calculated the fence height and popped right over it, trotting into the right stall. I was floored in watching him. Wow!! From a trot,he cleared the 5’ fence easily. My boss was amazed at his ability. Perhaps we’ll have another jumper in the future?  He was a favorite ‘ big putz’.

 Because I had just about been living at the farm, I was told to take a few days off and then return on a certain day. I had time to get back to riding my horses and get everything cleaned up before the big holiday arrived. It was not as though I was going to get any company but it was nice to get home to a sparkling clean house. 

The morning I went back to work I was excited to see if everyone was alright.  Sure enough, there was Anna riding a colt who had been on stall rest for a while. He was looking sound as could be. The farm was able to redo the old track with Regards’s earnings and what a big difference it made. The new footing was slow to freeze ,making it much safer.  Jellino was upset being outside because he was no doubt getting chilly. I told him that if he kept running the fence that he would be warm in no time. 

I turned the broodmares out for the day and got started on the stalls. It was then that my boss showed up and helped me with them. I was thankful that it was not a big place like some other places. I would have been cleaning stalls all morning…

The clouds began rolling in as predicted and wow, the temperatures dropped considerably. A cold wind picked up making it feel a lot worse.At noontime,I was too bring my mares back to their stalls.They were ready, standing at the gate, whinnying for me to come get them. Two by two, they were led in. Every time a gust of wind hit them, they would jump around like one ton hippos. I could imagine the ride to the barn being an unborn baby that day. I didn’t see ClichΓ©’ anywhere though. My last trip out was for her.  I called and called through the wind getting no reply. ‘ where was she?’ my mind wondered… Still calling her, I headed down the long hill and saw nothing. All of a sudden I heard a gunshot. That was the way my boss let everybody know that we had to get to the house immediately. Dashing along as best I could, I still got there last  We all sat down at the kitchen table to listen to the news. It turns out that the neighboring farm had lost two of their broodmares last night. Heavy in foal and Stolen , it was like stealing four horses. We were told to be extremely diligent about locking doors to the tack rooms and feed rooms too. For the next few weeks, the security cameras were going to be on and to be sure that they were all working. That’s when I realized that I had not brought my favorite mare in yet. I asked permission to go look for her, so I left. 

Back to the broodmares pasture to see nothing. I hoped that by then Cliche would have made it to the gate. There was nothing but some falling snow. That’s when I thought.                 “ omg,noooooo!” Had Cliche been stolen too?? I raced to the house and tried to let everyone know what was happening. Finally the police arrived and took notes, listened to everyone and then checked for fingerprints on the gate. I remembered that there was an old gate on the other side of the field that might show something. We all tramped down to where it was and found it pried open. Fortunately the snow didn’t dilute the thieve’s  prints. The police were optimistic about having something to work with now, and left. I didn’t want to go home but I had to care for my two horses,etc. Once I got to bed, I realized how tired I was… it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

For almost a week, we heard nothing about “ my” mare. I was beginning to give up hope. Never to get gentle hugs from Cliche, or hear the soft nickers. I would never see her new baby!  Christmas wasn’t as good as I thought. It was just sad, waiting to hear from the police that all of the mares had been found. In fact , we decided to delay it until the mares were found. We asked neighbors to watch for the mares at any auctions or advertised for sale.  Nothing.  Even the guy that I had been seeing would drive all over, trying to see if the farms had any new horses. No one really knew him, so he could easily pretend to be wanting to buy mares in foal. Still nothing. It was as though they had disappeared into thin air.  New Year’s Day came and went with no news at all. The neighbors were concerned that they might have their babies early due to the stress. I knew that Cliche was due a few days after the first of the year. Her baby was going to be a special addition to the farm as she had been bred to a stallion known for his jumping talents. 

Where Was She???

One day when I was finishing my chores up, the barn phone rang and rang. Usually it was answered by those in the house. Not today though. Finally just to make it be quiet, I answered it. Turns out it was my boyfriend. He’d been told by a friend at work that someone had some horses for sale and cheap. He was going to see them after work and would get back to me. Of course, when I checked the house, everyone was gone. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where anyone was so I thought I’d just get done with setting up feed for nighttime and wait. It was close to 5PM  when they all got home. Quickly I told them the days events. They wanted to go see it those horses belonged to us and our neighbors. To do that would make a mess of things, so there we were, sitting around the kitchen table, waiting and willing the phone to ring.  Finally it did. He was not positive that the horses he saw were the stolen ones. We heard a truck drive in and it was the neighbors who had lost their horses too. They told him what white markings they had and as much as they could remember of anything that might ID them. We couldn’t think of anything else that would make the extra horse be Cliche when all of a sudden I remembered a little scar on her nose from when she had a small cut on it. I described it and my boyfriend said it was the right group of horses.He said he would try to stall the sellers as long as he could but it would not be long. The police were called and we were told to ‘just sit still’.  It was mighty difficult but we did it. I ran to the barn to make sure Cliche was coming home to a safe clean stall. It seemed like we waited for days but it was just a couple of hours.  Finally we got the phone call that the horse thieves had been apprehended and we were welcome to come get the horses. 

The old farm was a good 40 miles away but we were there and fast. Our neighbors were following us with their big horse trailer. The police tramped thru the snow to a barn way off to itself. As they slid the old heavy doors aside, there were our horses! Covered in manure and crud, tangled manes and tails, but not in terrible shape. I ran over to my girl and she whinnied to me. I was never so happy to see a dirty, big pregnant horse in my life. We led them out to their trailers and loaded them up.  We invited everyone to come over for a belated Christmas dinner later that weekend . I was in tears most of the time that day.; All happy tears. My mare had been found. There was no way I could thank my boyfriend enough. He truly understood me when I was so scared and he did his best to make things happen.  He had my heart at that point… 

The next day, I cleaned ClichΓ© up as best I could. Got her mane and tail detangled, and curried her until her coat was shining again. She was so happy to be home . Regards was pleased to see her too. They had become friends when Regards really needed one. 

It was just about time for our delayed celebration and I wanted to get home to get out of the barn clothes.  I was just gone for an hour when I got a phone call to “ HURRY !”  Oh no, not another delay for Christmas! In no time I was rumbling down the snowy lane to the farm. The bosses wife pointed me to the barn. It’s hard to run in heels, let me tell you.  I followed the noise and realized it was close to ClichΓ©s stall.  Oh noooooo, she could not be sick… nooo.

I turned the corner to see she was down on her side and groaning something awful. My boss was there along with Anna.  I was going to ask him what had happened and he smiled. “She’s having her baby. “  

‘  No! She is????’ I thought to myself. I would miss the foals being born, only to find them in the mornings all the other times. This was my first time seeing a foal being born in person. And so it came to be a tiny black filly was born on that cold winter night in a barn with all of her family around her. Cliche did it all by herself and what a wonderful mama she was. I sat there with tears running down my cheeks, destroying my makeup. I didn’t care though. We turned on the heat lamps for a little warmth for the new one to get dried off under. 

After dinner we were sitting in the living room and relaxing when my boyfriend wanted to open gifts. He sure was in a hurry. So we all moved to the next room. It had been a parlor in the early days but was a TV room now. We all opened our gifts one by one, Ooooing and ahhhing over the gifts for the others. I got a gorgeous pair of custom made riding chaps from my boss and his wife, a perfect gold necklace with a silver horseshoe on it from Anna. That’s when my boss told us that there were two more presents for me. Did I want the small one or the big one?  Having never been good at choosing that sort of thing I said to surprise me. A small package was given to me and I had no idea what it was. I gently opened the paper and inside was a long jewelry box. The wonderful man bought me something beautiful I thought to myself…a necklace or bracelet… I sat there thinking of what it would be when Anna said

 ‘ if you don’t hurry up and open the box, I am going to faint’  

Well we all knew that she had never fainted in her life, so everyone laughed. As I was opening the box, completely expecting a beautiful piece while my boyfriend sat on the table beside me and watched. I opened it and there was nothing there.  Nothing. He said that before I got any further, there was something he had to say. I was confused and shook my head okay.  He said that he had been in love with me ever since he saw me take a nose dive off a horse at a show… that he wanted to protect me from anymore harm… only to give me happiness. Then he took the box from me and  I looked underneath. There was a diamond and emerald ring sitting there. It had been custom made by a favorite jeweler just for me. I knew it was as I had drawn it out to show my boyfriend . I had  no idea about the secrets and surprises going on that winter.


dainty-emerald-engagement-ring-in-FD9275EMR-NL-WG-GS

 



When he asked me if I would do him the honor of becoming his wife, I said yes,of course!  Everyone clapped and cheered. What a great Christmas!  I wanted to go to the barn and wish Regards and ClichΓ© a Happy Christmas . My boss said he would be there in a few.  Due to my shoes already being ruined I slopped through the snow to the  barn.  

Quietly I slid one door open and stepped in. I didn’t want to wake anyone up so I was very quiet. Regards was laying down in her deep bed of straw, sleeping. Whispering that I loved her, she flicked an ear.  When I was almost to Cliche’ stall, my boss caught up with me. 

They were both awake and when Cliche knew it was me, she gave me a soft nicker. Her little daughter nickered too ( she had no idea what she was nickering about but she made a little grunty noise.)  It was then I noticed that she had something on her neck. It was red and well chewed. I looked at my boss in confusion. Had someone been in the stall…if so,what happened with the alarm ?  He was grinning from ear to ear and as his wife and daughter joined him, he said that I needed to go take the thing off. The little one might get hurt. I did but with a little monkey not wanting to be touched much, it got to be interesting. Finally I got it free and stepped out of the stall. Thinking who on earth would be so stupid as to do this to a baby.

By then my new fiancΓ© had showed up wondering why the delay. I was standing there,holding the red “ thing “the boss’s wife said that she wanted me to read the words on it. Ooooookay,so I tried to read it even though there were places where I could not …slowly but surely I realized what I was reading. 

Merry Christmas, Kris.

    May all your dreams come true 

                and let them begin with Me” 


**Next, Regards becomes a mama, and Cliche’s Christmas Gift grows up.




Saturday, July 1, 2023

The Attack Cat


7/1/23

Welcome July! I always thought of July as being Midsummer, even though it is not. What it is, is Hot!  Holy moly it is hot. Perfect for crops to grow and the hay to grow for winter feed. This year has been a great hay growing season. I look at it growing up , being made into bales and sigh to myself. No hay orders for me this year…  No one to feed it to.

Back to the reason for the title of this tale. I am owned by a lovely long haired cat. She came to the farm as a stray 3-4 month old kitten and stayed. She was scared and spooked easily when someone came by. Whenever she was in the tack room, she was as sweet as could be. Never did she act nasty or grumpy around anyone, ever.  She was a perfect barn cat. When I left she came with me. No way she was being left behind. I would never do that to any animal.

There we were, apartment dwellers. I was not used to it and neither was Simone. Cleo was all good though. Inside or out, Cleo was cool. I was planning a week long trip to Florida. Cleo would be okay being boarded… I didn’t want to but she would be fine. Simone? Hmmmmm…

The perfect plan came to mind. I would ask my brother in law if he could stop on his way home from work and take care of her. He said he would. Yayyyyy. Before I left I put her food on the dining room table with instructions. All was good.

The trip was a non event and they very kindly picked me up at the airport. On the ride home, I was told that Simone had not been very ummmm, hospitable.  It seemed that when my brother in law had stopped by to first couple of times… he said that he didn’t see her at all. The next day he said that she was laying on the sofa and watching him intently as he cleaned the litter box and gave her some more food and water.  

Then on the 4th day she was laying in the living room, watching him. Now this guy loves animals… so he would talk to her and make pleasant sounds to her. Simone hissed at him. She knew who he was because they had met before.

The 5th day, Simone was in the living room and hissed at him as he cleaned up the litter box and fed her. He said that she fuzzed her coat up, doubling in size, looking huge and fierce. The next, she did did the same with more anger.

As he was telling me about her, I was very surprised! Sweet Simone? Scared of her own shadow, Simone? She’s never been nasty to anyone, ever. 

The last day before I got home, she was ready for a big discussion about him even being there. She paraded around, doubled in size,due to fluffing herself up, hissing at him and growling. My poor brother in law didn’t know what to do. He quickly got things done and then as he turned around to leave, Simone was sitting between him and the door. Growling and hissing at him loudly. He said that he waited for her to move. Finally she did and he left as fast as he could.

Again, I was floored by her behavior.  Why on earth would she be so upset and defensive when she was not like that at all?  

When I got home, I didn’t see her at all. Finally she showed up and was so happy to see me! Of course, Cleo chased her away, hogging all of the attention. Later on, we watched some TV and I headed to bed. Cleo sleeping in her bed on my bed. 

The next morning, everyone was fine… no bad tempered cat at all.

The only thing I can think of is that Simone had been left alone and decided that she was the one in charge of protecting the place. This, the big protective measures… I don’t know if she would have gone any further than being intimidating or not, but I’m glad my now not so willing to feed her brother in law didn’t test her. 

 He said she was like a mountain lion in miniature. 

                                           Haha, not my sweet little Simone!

πŸ©΅πŸ’œπŸ©΅πŸ’œ




Friday, June 30, 2023

Omgosh… more

 6/30/23

There have been a lot of changes again in my life. Yeah, again!  I moved from Maryland to Southern Pennsylvania a few months ago. I have come to the conclusion that I really do love PA. The land is beautiful and peaceful, the humans seem to be nice enough even though I try to stay away from many and again, the land…. 🩡🩡🩡🩡.

One of the best things is that I have a new job. I’m a tour guide for a small business that offers buggy rides through the countryside to learn about the Amish culture and way of life. So far, it’s been great. I get to be around horses and meet different folks from all over the country while they are on vacation. 

It’s the horses that attracted me and the fact that I know how to drive. At least I thought I did. Some of the rides are along peaceful country roads but some? Being on a Very Busy Road with a horse and a buggy full of passengers is quite different than a show ring. At first I was pretty much sure that it was not going to be a good idea to drive on a road like that. Eventually I learned about some of the horse’s’ personalities. Which were lazy or a little frightened to be in the midst of heavy traffic. It’s entirely different from showing! It was not long before I was getting the hang of it all. Learning how to ignore people who were much better drivers and would be the first to tell you…for example.

The horses are a mix of breeds needed for the job they were to do and all kinds of dispositions hangups and soundness . From huge draft crosses, to Dutch Harness horses and a couple of other mixes. Of course I had my favorites.. and some were dropped from my list due to showing who they truly were. I’ll be sure to add some pix to some as this story develops. 

It’s a long drive to get to work but to me? Doing what I love and know is a little more important. I never needed a lot of money…enough to get my bills paid and that’s about it. So, so far so good. I’m enjoying heading to work daily and like what I do. 🩡🩡😁😁🩡🩡

Below is one of my favorites… I believe he is a Dutch Harness horse named Commander. 















“I just wanna ride”

 6/30/23.

How many times have I heard that. With over 40 years of teaching people how to ride, I don’t remember. Many times at least. One simply needs to start at the bottom and move up the ladder to be able to “ just ride “.

As stated in the note below, it’s imperative that you begin with the basics and start learning. Learning how to enter a horse’s stall, how to use the many safety precautions required for not being killed… how to clean a stall properly and safely with a horse in it.Learning how to groom a horse in a safe correct way.

There are so many things to learn that we horse people don’t even think about anymore due to learning it all  correctly. Safety precautions will prevent a bad kick or more. You need to learn how to halter a horse and then lead it to any area.

Just simply knowing how a horse thinks and will behave is huge. What does your horse see when being anywhere… What will a horse react to, remembering that they are prey animals. 

I remember teaching my students how their horses are not as brave as they seem to be. That given a chance to flee from something they perceive as a threat, they will run right over the human to save them selves. Most horses are basically frightened of things they don’t understand or remember from earlier in life.

So when I hear about how one just wants to ride, I have to chuckle. There have been times when I brought a very quiet horse into the aisle of my barn and told the “I just wanna ride “ student, okay, let’s just ride. Often times they’re not going to have a idea how to even get started. It takes all of my patience to not tell them what to do. Most of the time, I find something else to be doing so I don’t.Every single time, they will stand there helplessly, waiting for me to at least give a hint. Nope. Soon, I can’t stand it and we’ll end discussing the why’s behind how important it is to learn from the beginning. 

All of a sudden, I have a student who is very interested in learning it All. From “horses are very dangerous to be around, all the way to mounting correctly, and having a good time. 

If you “ just wanna ride” next time, go to a local trail riding place and pay for a ride. Chances are going to be great that you will Still be given the basics on how to ride.





                                ****************************************************

‘I want to just ride’ - Say this to any seasoned professional in the game and they will look at you like ‘Oh honey’ πŸ˜‚ 

   You have to learn to be a rider, groom, horseman/women, business owner, lead a team, handle clients and alongside all this you’ve still got to muck out and pick a broom up until you can earn enough money to have someone help you do this whilst you are doing something else to earn this said money. 

‘I want to just ride’ doesn’t exist and  if you see someone doing that you have no idea how hard they worked to get in that position. So get sweeping my friend ♥️ 

#reality #horseworld #equestrianlife #horseriding #horserider #dressagerider #truth #equestrianstyle #equine #horsemanship

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

What the Heck?

 6/28/23

It gotta be a long time since I was in dating mode but I still remember how it goes. Now either person can ask the other person out, and usually they have some enjoyable things lined up to do… right?  It’s called a “ date “. People get to know each other slowly and learn about each other’s thoughts and feelings.

  I also understand about “ hooking up “ To me it’s just a meeting of two people who are attracted to each other basically to have sex. Sometimes not even attracted to each other . Nothing more… no emotions needed..Back in my day it wasn’t called that, but it was the same thing.

So, what the heck is the point of it all? I don’t believe things have changed in a kazillion years one bit. It’s still pretty much the “ I want your body “ with perhaps a little finesse added called a date . Why would someone want to give something that has been around for centuries a new name?  I know my generation did it and I wonder what it was called say, during WWII?

From what I understand it’s pretty much the same game but with a different name. Sighhh….and chuckling at the same time. Preferably I enjoy getting to know a bit about another person before jumping into bed with them. Used to be I wasn’t like that ,but now? Slowly getting to know another is a lot more important and enjoyable. Maybe I am truly old fashioned or maybe just old ? At any rate, don’t tell anyone else < grins> 

Have a great day tomorrow!


Friday, June 23, 2023

Men & Other Things

 6.23.23

Shhhhhh! It’s a secret but I have met a most wonderful man. My sorta-kinda want list IF I was looking for a guy ( I’m happy with being single but it would be nice to have someone who wants to be around me that doesn’t have 4 legs 😊) has grown exponentially. Slowly, with more being added as I meet men who I don’t want to be around.

You see, I have known that I am rather picky about living things in my life for a long time. Dogs, cats, chickens, and of course, my beloved horses.  Now? Add men. For my whole life I have never been one to hang with women, I always thought men were more interesting.Ahhhh, she just  likes the attention, you’re thinking… No, really; Men have more interesting things to say than many women I know. I enjoy talking to them and learning from them. Yeah, well it helps if he’s a bit more than good looking. A while ago,I made one of the worst mistakes I could have in choosing a man. I chose the Wrong one.  Life lessons learned! 

Anyhow, back to the “ list “

* He needs to be smart. Not just ‘book-learned’ smart as in having a PhD in something or a swank college degree, but smart in other ways too.(fill in the blanks here) Unintelligent people are boring after a while and I find myself wandering off mentally.This in turn, gets me in a world of trouble. 

* Well traveled. I would love to see some of this grand planet before I am too old. Having a person who knows his way around is a huge plus.

* A good conversationalist. I’m tend to be quiet until I know someone…. Sitting and listening. Observing. Once I get to know the person better, I will be more chatty, maybe. I also might get up and politely wander off. ( see note before)

* High ethics, morals and values… standards. As I have gotten older I don’t want to hear that he ‘seened’ something for example.

         πŸ€ͺ   See? Told you!πŸ˜›


* Oh,  preferably taller than me.  Used to be it was difficult to find a guy who was most of the above and be taller. Especially in heels. (Sadly I can’t wear heels anymore because I blew my ankle out a good while ago.)

* Reasonably in good health… we all know how things creep up on us ‘ older’ folks, ( like the ever popular fat/fluffy areas) but I enjoy being able to get around a little. 

*Pretty much I like a country man. Nooooo, not a red neck,but a man who loves the country life. I have had my fill of the City Men. Oh my gosh.. lesson learned there too.  Someone who understands how a gal might be forced to break a date because she has a sick animal and not pout. Someone who is loving and affectionate to all living things … also not afraid to show it.

* A guy who treats a woman as she wants to be loved/ treated. One who doesn’t do that to gain ‘ brownie points’.Not a fake… if he is the sort who has more than one woman, then I am gone. 

 Okay so back to this guy… He’s not a scammer or a con man- Yayyy.  He’s a little younger than me but I don’t mind. At our age, it doesn’t matter. ( omg, I’m a cradle robber!!! ) I can click pretty much all of the boxes above . The ones that are not clicked are due to not knowing him that well. 

There you have it. Finally a good person who is willing to be in my life and has no hidden agenda. It will be great getting to know him as time passes. I hope that he wants to stay in my life for a long time, too. πŸ’œπŸ€—

                      In case you’re thinking about the below photo being the perfect guy for meeee? think again.

                                                                 πŸ˜…πŸ˜…πŸ˜… πŸ˜…









Saturday, June 17, 2023

Farmer Cheese?

I saw this  and wondered if it is a good idea for making Farmer Cheese. For those who are interested in making it or those who have made it before, what do you think?  It looks pretty involved.

A good recipe or do you have a better one?

Farmer Cheese

Ingredients
  • 1 Gallon of Milk (it doesn’t matter if it’s raw or pasteurized. Whole milk makes the best tasting cheese, but you can use 2% or skim milk too)
  • 1/2 cup of Lemon Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, or White Vinegar (I use a mix of fresh lemon juice and ACV)
  • Salt, Pepper & Herbs To Taste (I typically use chives, garlic powder, and parsley)
  • 1 or 2 Large Pots
  • Cheesecloth
  • Colander
  • *If you’re keeping the whey (which you should!) you’ll need a few mason jars and a funnel
Steps
  1. Heat Milk To A Boil
  2. In a large pot, heat the milk on medium-high heat until it’s at a rolling boil. Be sure to stir continuously to avoid scorching!
  3. Quickly Turn The Heat Off and Add Lemon Juice, ACV, or White Vinegar
  4. Once the milk is boiling, turn off the heat and quickly add your lemon juice, ACV, or white vinegar.
  5. Be careful! It can easily overflow and make a huge mess!:
  6. The pot I use to make this farmer’s cheese is a standard large pot, and it usually overflows once I add the acidic ingredient. For that reason, I immediately move the pot to the sink before adding my lemon juice and apple cider vinegar!
  7. If your pot is large enough, this won’t be an issue for you!
  8. The Milk Will Immediately Separate/Curdle
  9. After adding your acidic ingredient, you should immediately see the milk curdle and separate into curds and whey. Stir it around a bit.
  10. Line A Colander With Cheesecloth
  11. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it in the sink. Using a wooden spoon, add the curds to the colander and add salt, pepper, and herbs.
  12. *If You’re Keeping The Whey* – Strain The Whey Into Mason Jars
  13. You can strain the whey into another pot to get the rest of the curds out, or you can do what I do:
  14. Place a small piece of cheesecloth over the top of a mason jar, then add the ring to hold it in place. Allow enough slack for it to hold the bits of curds that are still in the pot.
  15. Put a canning funnel on top of the mason jar and pour the whey in.
  16. I recommend keeping the whey! I’ll write an article about it’s various uses, but a quick Google search will show why it’s worth the extra step.
  17. Hang or Press Your Farmer’s Cheese
  18. After mixing the herbs, salt, and pepper into the cheese, grab the sides of the cheesecloth and twist to squeeze out the remaining whey.
  19. Then, hang the cheesecloth on a cabinet with a large bowl underneath to catch the whey as it drips. Alternatively, you can place the cheese and cheesecloth on a dish and put something heavy on top of it to press your cheese.
  20. Don’t over-press or allow it to hang for too long or it will dry out! It takes some experimentation to get it just right. I tend to over-press, so I prefer the hanging method. I usually allow it to hang for about an hour to an hour and a half.
  21. Shape or Crumble Your Cheese and Refrigerate
  22. I prefer to leave my farmer’s cheese in whatever form it takes while hanging, with a bit of pressing at the end. Some people serve their farmer’s cheese crumbled. Either way, it’s delicious!
  23. Wrap the cheese in a beeswax wrap, wax paper, or an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy!


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