Happy, Happy !!

 11/24/2022

A Thanksgiving story for you on this important day of being thankful for the people we love, those who are here and those who are unable to.

As many know, I gave riding lessons to adults and kids, for decades. One family had two kids taking lessons that year. It was destined to be a normal Thanksgiving weekend and I was looking forward to a few days off. Hahaha, so were my two bronze turkeys! Harry and Mary were their names. I raised them from little teeny babies and they were great friends with my chickens and horses. Harry used to strut about, tail feathers all plumed out doing his best to impress Mary, but she never showed any interest. He would coo at her, obviously saying sweet nothings in ‘Turkish.’ Nothing.

That was the year I had the most glorious “night before Thanksgiving' that I will never forget. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The Wednesday before the big weekend, I rode my favorite Appaloosa mare, Miki, bareback to get the mail. The boxes were all down at the end of the long driveway, so it was a nice ride. A beautiful day and my favorite time of the year on the best little horse I had ever owned. Perfect.

We got to the mailbox and I stepped Miki sideways to get the mail from the box. She was such a pro in everything she did. I reached into the box and grabbed the pile of mail. Being the last day for mail that week, there was a pile of it. I stuffed it under my arm, swung my little mare around, and headed home.

When I got home, I began sorting through the mail: A few checks from clients, a few Thanksgiving cards, and some junk mail. I sat down at the kitchen table and began opening the card envelopes.

There was one big envelope that got my attention. It was addressed to Harry at WoodFinn Farm.

???????

The envelope was obviously handmade…Was it from a student? I got many wonderful things from them and this could be a holiday card from one.

Opening that card that day so long ago, I still remember it clearly. It had to be unfolded and the words were printed in crayon. As I read it, I realized that it was a thanksgiving card…. But for my Turkeys?

As I read the card I started laughing:

“Dear Harry,

We would love to have you for dinner so you are invited to our house tomorrow. Don’t bother dressing as we’ll supply that. We hope you can make it!

To the other people at WoodFinn Farm, we wish them a happy Thanksgiving. “

There was a big drawing of a turkey like Harry would look and then one of a cooked turkey on a big table. At the bottom were the signatures of the whole family.

The whole card made me laugh and again thankful for people who cared about me.

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May you all have a Wonderful Day!

Florida?

 11.21.2022

So, once again, life has changed for me. Guess who is in Florida? Yeah- me.  I know you're asking " what the heck?" Turns out that a friend I've known for a couple of years asked me to come down as he thought of going into business together ... making cool things to sell at various festivals, and the like. He was/ is remodeling an older motorhome and I understood that it was for traveling about, seeing the country, etc. I have always wanted to do just that so I thought about it and said yeah, let's do it. I no longer have any animals but my kitty and my sister said she'd take care of her.

Here I am in Florida. Land of heat and humidity. Not to mention bugs I had never seen before, alligators everywhere water is and snakes and more. Did I mention alligators? Never being one to simply dismiss things I don't know about; it could be a fun time to explore the deep south. 

 Okay... I have seen enough that I know it's not where I will be settling down. Don't get me wrong- it's a lovely state and there are many things to do when it comes to horses. WEC is down here, and many top-notch horse farms as well...  in the winter months, the weather is decent and according to some who have been here for a while, it gets downright cold. ( nottttt) It's just that I prefer the four seasons and the summers here are unbearable. So, no thanks.

I have planned a small store on Facebook... "Winter Wytch Designs"- and have one (yep, just one now) item listed! Turns out that I couldn't find many of my craft things when I left and they remained in Maryland. Having to buy just about everything new again, it's taken me a bit to get going. I hope others like my designs. 😀 

 That's about it for now.  There's an odd feeling/ energy on this farm that I don't like. It also could be me injecting my feelings into it all, but it's still there in the background.  An odd feeling though, even so. it's almost as though there's an undercurrent of negativity around.  

Below are a couple of photos I snapped here.

                                                    This is a "Gopher Tortoise". 

They are very special in Florida and protected. If there's a burrow made by a tortoise, then anything like improvement is out of the question

Lo and behold, there are what we kids used to call 'Monkey Vines'. 

We would swing on them and have a great time.

Goodbye Mr. Tortoise.. safe travels.

have a wonderful day...