Sad day....

Yesterday was another BUSY day and a VERY sad one too. I sold Honey....I will miss her dreadfully....she was the best horse, but I know it was a good decision 'cause I really need a team penning horse. Sasha was going to be very lonely since Lily went to training and Honey went to her new home, so we brought my 32 year old mare home from my parent's farm yesterday. We were planning to anyway since they didn't have anyone to take care of her while they are in Nashville, but the timing really was ideal....

In the afternoon we went to my nephew's birthday party. Everyone had a GREAT time!! He is SUCH a ham! And, he's got my number - he was reaching out to take a taste of his cake, so I spoke his name sternly from behind him. He turned his head, grinned and said "Cheese!" I guess I take too many pictures....

Busy Saturday...

This morning we took Lily over to the trainer's farm. She was very quiet riding in the trailer, but she sure was excited when we got there! All those other horses to talk to!! She was all fired up, but settled down fairly quickly.

Then, we drove to Westbrook to buy another Saturn. An Ion this time. We've had good luck with Saturns and Dad needed a smaller vehicle that gets better gas mileage for his long commute to work.

Thursday

We're finally enjoying spring-like weather! Which is why I haven't been writing my blog lately...too busy outdoors! I managed to get the mares' pen expanded, although I had to reinforce the side that faces the boys' pasture because they were too close and the mares were encouraging the boys to try to get through the wooden fence! A little electricity solved that problem....

Yesterday I went to the chiropractor for an adjustment - I had been feeling some back pain and knew that something wasn't quite right...I was WAY out of alignment. I feel much better today...

This afternoon I am going to take the chicks back to the classroom so that the kids can see how much they have grown. I am also taking our Jersey Wooley bunny in so that our older son can show her to his friends. That will be fun!!

Finally SUNSHINE!!!!

It felt soooo good to just sit outside and soak it in.....

Our youngest had a friend come over to visit today. They had a fantastic time playing! They brought me 2 Marans roosters and a Barred Rock rooster - 2 more than I needed, but what do you do? I have a lot more space than they have, so I said that I would take them...

Bagel success....

The bagels were a success!! I know now what I did wrong last time - I followed the recipe and it was faulty. That recipe said to boil the bagels for a couple of minutes, which is when they shriveled up! Right in the introduction to her bagel recipe, Nancy Silverton explains that is a common error and that they really only need SECONDS in the boiling water....The bagel recipe I just made was from her book "Breads from the La Brea Bakery". My husband got some sourdough starter from his Maine Guide friend and that's what we used. He has also used it for YUMMY blueberry pancakes and today I'll make sandwich bread with it. We've tried using a sourdough starter in the past, but it started to take over our lives - we had to feed it continually and I couldn't use it fast enough. (The chickens enjoyed eating the excess though!) This starter can stand going into the 'fridge and not eating when you're not using it. I hope it can - we're going to give it another try....

After spending the night in the 'fridge....

Boiling the bagels before baking....

Crunchy on the outside...

chewy on the inside.....

Blueberry pancakes.....

It's FINALLY stopped raining....well, almost....it's still sprinkling and looking dreary out there, like Mother Nature just isn't sure she's finished....I HOPE she is!!

Wet, wet, wet

There just isn't anywhere else for more rain to go!! And yet it keeps pouring down....We've also had plenty of snow over the last few days, so everywhere you step outside is a slushy mess...

The boys are having an interesting vacation. Dad is here too, until tomorrow. It's no tv week! Great timing! Normally that wouldn't be an issue 'cause by this time of the year they are outside almost all day, but with this weather, they are really feeling cooped up! We almost took them to the PlayPlace at McDonald's this evening out of sheer desperation....

We've been putting together puzzles and working in educational workbooks. Our oldest is learning to read to himself and finding that he is really enjoying it - that makes me so happy since reading is one of my favorite hobbies! Our youngest decided to make up some recipes today and came up with some yummy treats! I started some bagels this afternoon - they have to rest in the 'fridge 'til tomorrow morning when I will boil and then bake them. I'm looking forward to them, although the last time I tried to make bagels they were a failure. But, this is a better recipe so I'm more hopeful....

Another storm brewing...

They are talking about the likelihood of power outages this evening, so I'm spending this morning doing everything electrical....like my blog! ;-)

Yesterday morning Dad had the morning off, so we ran some errands together. We took the boys to school and then went in-town to open a new bank account - it's only taken us 2 years to decide that we really do need to move our funds - it's not practical to leave them in our old bank, no matter how loyal we want to be. Stangest thing....in order to open a new account, you don't just have to know your social security number, but they want to take a copy of the card. No problem, it's always right here, in my wallet, behind my driver's license.....or maybe not!! After tearing the house apart (as if it wasn't already a mess!) I realized that I have LOST my social security card - NOOOOO!!!! The last time I remember seeing it was a couple of months ago when I switched purses. Whenever I do that, I go through all the cards that I have collected and throw away the ones that I really don't need - and the social security card must have ended up in the 'discard pile' instead of the 'put into the new purse' pile. I'm just BRILLIANT!!!! What we ended up doing was taking my card from when I was born, along with our marriage certificate and she photocopied those 2 documents. Now I've got to find out how to get a new card.....

While we were at the bank, the garage called and for a small fortune we could have our truck back. Yeah! But, when we got there we discovered that it was still dirty - what about the complimentary car wash, darn it?! So, we went over to Subway for a yummy sandwich while we waited for them to wash it....

At the end of the school day I went over to pick up the boys and bring home the chicks. They lost a few, but the remaining chicks are very active and healthy! And sooooo cute.....

This week has been Spirit Week at school. Monday was camoflauge day, Tuesday was favorite toy day and yesterday was hat day - look at what they wore - coonskin caps!! Grammie & Grampa Roberts brought those home from Medora, North Dakota, during one of their trips out West to visit Uncle Jim.....

Tuesday evening I went over to ride Soul in the arena. They brought the cows out to play!! Soul was feeling REALLY fresh, but he seemed very happy to see me and was well behaved, for the most part. When he wasn't, he was very playful, not spiteful, so I just corrected him and laughed - he was having a great time! ;-) At one point we ran a cow down the wall, stopped him before he got to the herd and then ran him back again. YEE!! HAA!! Then, just when we thought he was done, the little bugger doubled back!! I wasn't ready for that, but Soul sure WAS, he dug right down, spun on his haunches, headed in the other direction and stopped him in his tracks....it was AMAZING!! That horse does have cutting instincts!! Of course, what was REALLY amazing was the fact that I stayed on when he did that....

The power of brakes....

Brakes work great for stopping a vehicle, but when they don't work, they stop everything else! Fortunately, my truck brakes failed in the Wal-mart parking lot, not while I was driving down the road pulling horses!! After doing some shopping with the boys, before heading home after our doctor visit, I put my foot on the brakes in order to put the truck in gear. The pedal held, like usual, and then suddenly my foot went to the floor!! I thought "Oh no...that CAN'T be good..." Dad was on his way home, so I asked him to please meet us there and we could decide what to do at that point. The boys were NOT happy - we were ALL hungry and ready to head home for the evening. It's funny how reminding them that they aren't the only ones that are upset by the situation doesn't stop them from whining.....but, they did have some new toys that kept them entertained. We ended up following Dad home and then driving the truck to the garage this morning, using the brakes as little as possible. Apparently the front brakes still worked, but the line from the front to the back basically exploded when I pressed on the brakes - you should have seen the mess we made in the parking lot! For $550 I will have my truck back this evening - isn't that RIDICULOUS???? I know it's not an easy fix, but GEEZ!!

The big problem was that yes, it would have been inconvenient any other time, but it happened the evening before I had a dentist appt scheduled. There is no such thing as rescheduling with my dentist. In order to be a patient there you have to sign a contract stating that if you cancel an appt with less than 24 hours notice they will fine you $100!! Apparently it's been a real issue for them - so I was pretty stressed about the fact that I couldn't miss my appt and Dad's annual review at work was scheduled for this morning as well! Fortunately his boss was understanding and he was able to go to work late.

Our oldest son and I were the ones with doctor appts yesterday afternoon - we both got a clean bill of health! YEAH!! He's growing like a weed, and my doctor is happy with my continued weight loss...
We had a great Easter holiday! The boys were very happy with their new toys in their Easter baskets. We got them things that will hopefully keep them entertained during our long drive down to Nashville next month - handheld computer games, coloring books, and notebooks & pencils. Of course we also got them great big chocolate bunnies - the expensive ones that are made with REAL ingredients! We also got them helmets and lights for their bikes. Our younger son got an electric guitar, which he was THRILLED with!! He's been very frustrated that he can't play Guitar Hero like the rest of us 'cause his fingers don't reach the fret buttons. He has played that guitar almost continuously ever since....

After breakfast we had our Easter egg hunt - outdoors!! It was COLD, but the boys had fun anyway. Even the cat joined in! This year our younger son found the most eggs. His brother was NOT happy about being beaten!

Both sets of grandparents came up for the afternoon. A couple of our nephews tagged along, so the boys had fun playing with them. We all took a walk down to our waterfall, which was harder than we thought it would be 'cause the snow was pretty deep!! Since fishing season officially started on April 1st, #2 carried his pole along and dipped his line for the first time this year!! He was sooooo excited....



When we got back to the house we saddled up Sasha for my mother and I hopped up on Honey for a quick ride. It was WICKED fun!! Honey was well behaved and Mom loves to ride Sasha. I even got up on Lily while my husband led her around. She still doesn't have any controls - the trainer will teach her those - so at this point I just sit there. They are just so proud that she is ready to ride - she's practically a granddaughter....
Yesterday I rode Honey again, but she wasn't as good as she was all last week. The problem was that I tried to take her out by herself. So, she went right back to her old tricks - she wouldn't move, not matter how hard I kicked and spanked her. She was okay up here in the yard, but I couldn't get her over the crest of the hill heading down the driveway. FRUSTRATING!! I'm really not sure what to do about it.....

While supper was cooking last night the boys opened their Easter package from their aunt and uncle-to-be in Nashville. They LOVED their gifts, and of course the candy. Their favorite thing is camo and since that was the theme they were very happy. They are thinking hard about where to put the horsey foam stickers....

As soon as I finish this I'm going to go advertise 3 of my horses for sale. I'm not happy about it, but it will be worth it if I am able to buy Soul.....

The day before Easter...

We had a nice quiet day...we got lots of cleaning done and also played with the horses. I rode both Honey& Lily and our oldest son rode Sasha and Lily too! What fun!! Honey is getting better each time I ride her but she still gets pretty fired up...that worries me, but I hope that she will settle down and listen to me the more that I work her.

While Daddy took a nap this afternoon, the boys and I colored Easter eggs. It was really fun! They came out soooo beautiful!

Chix...

I took the boys to school this morning and their teacher informed me that there are now 18 chicks!! WOW!! The kids are soooo excited!! This afternoon I am going to take in some more chix food and bring home the incubator with the 3 or 4 eggs that died. The chicks will stay at school through next week so that the kids can play with them. I'm very pleased, to say the least....

Coming down our big hill this morning, I almost ran over an unusual bird. I looked it up when I got home and it was an American Woodcock! VERY cool!

I took some chick food into the classroom this afternoon. Another chick hatched today! That makes 19....

Lily's First Ride!!

This afternoon I decided that the trainer was NOT going to be the first to ride my baby girl! Our 3 year old filly, Lily, is heading for training in the next couple of weeks, so my time for gathering the courage to sit on her back is running out. I kept telling myself not to worry, that the chances of her bucking were slim to none 'cause she's such a mellow girl, but I've never ridden a horse for the first time, so I was nervous. But, I put on a halter with the lead tied into reins (just in case I needed to pull her head around) and slid onto her back. She wasn't sure what I was doing, but decided that it was okay. It was kinda cute the way she kept shifting her legs and the muscles in her back, trying to adjust to my weight. I let her just continue eating at the hay bale and then she wandered around a bit. She was very relaxed. Instead of just sitting there, I took off my coat and waved it around a little bit, I scratched her everywhere that I could reach - including her tail, slapped my hands on my thighs and waved my arms and legs around. I figure it's never too early for her to learn that people do crazy things when they're on your back...she never batted an eye....she's such a good girl!!

Of course we have pictures 'cause my husband came running out with the camera, hoping to take a picture of me in mid-air! Yes, the camera also has the ability to take video, and every time Lily walked off he would start filming, just in case she started bucking....he's so helpful....

I also rode her mother, Honey. We're debating whether or not to sell her, so I need to figure out if I'm going to be able to ride her. We've had a lot of issues with riding. After discussing it with our farrier, who is also a trainer, I've decided to go back to the basics - no bridle or saddle - with her since that's when she starts getting upset - when I tack her up. This afternoon I just got on her back and asked her to move off my leg, back up, walk forward on command and whoa on command. She did okay. She's a natural at working off her haunches and we even did a roll-back at the walk. I just need to really concentrate on praising her for the slightest correct response. We'll try again tomorrow and I'll make my decision next week based on whether or not we've made any progress. Boy, wouldn't I LOVE to turn her into my penning horse!

Just when the ground was starting to reappear, we got LOTS more snow!! YUCK!! The boys have had fun playing in it though! Dad stayed home from work today 'cause the town didn't plow our road 'til 1 o'clock this afternoon....

Guitar Hero

Today I finished the Medium level on both Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II!! There are some really awesome songs on those games! Freebird is amazing and I still can't believe that I played it all the way through the first time....

Bridal Shower & Robin Stang Team Penning Clinic

I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping everyone up-to-date, but I was MUCH too busy last week to type. I found out on Wednesday that I would be attending ANOTHER Robin Stang clinic, the Novice Team Penning Clinic on Sunday & Monday. That meant making all sorts of arrangements - child care, borrowing Soul again, hotel accommodations, etc - on top of all the planning for my sister's bridal shower on Saturday. Then, I was offered a position at the boys' school, as a nurse, which meant applying and interviewing for the job. In all the commotion, I completely forgot that the eggs in the incubator at school were due to hatch! I got a frantic phone call from the teacher this morning - when she arrived and heard peeping!! They should be fine, but we were NOT prepared....

I don't know yet whether or not I got the position as school nurse. The boys really hope so! I think I interviewed pretty well, but I have NO experience in human medicine, just animal medicine. We'll see. I should find out later this week.

My sister's bridal shower was a GREAT time!! Lots of family members, even our elderly aunts, were able to attend. It was quite a crowd! We shared lots of laughter and memories. She got some wonderful gifts and she was anxious to get home and show them to her fiance. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and always enjoy seeing all their aunts and uncles. The guys went to my brother's house during the party, but then came over afterward to visit before everyone left. Our dog, Haley, could hardly control her excitement....

Sunday morning I picked up Soul, along with a girl friend and her horse, at 5 am to head for the team penning clinic in Swanville. I was a bit nervous to be hauling horses that I didn't own for such a distance, but they were calm as could be. The truck sure knew it was hauling a load though. They are both big horses and together weigh more than twice as much as my little bitty Sasha! I made one wrong turn, which was very stressful, since that meant I had to get us turned around. Then, when we got there I wasn't able to get it parked where I wanted it, but the farm owner was more than happy to come out and park it for me. As soon as we got there, we unloaded, tacked up and started warming the horses up. Soul was really nervous, but he settled down once we got to work.

Sunday morning was a crash course in horsemanship, which those of us that had taken the clinic last weekend had already learned. That made it easier for Robin because he could really focus on helping the riders that had never learned it before and just make sure that the rest of us weren't making any big mistakes and answer any questions that we might have. Soul and I really pushed it and impressed him with our rollbacks, which we had trouble with during the week, but he said he could tell we had been practicing. I was so proud of Soul when we did it particularly well and I could hear the other riders cheering us and Robin said something about how that BIG horse could really get that big butt under him!! He also commented on how much POWER Soul has and how well he moves - it felt REALLY good....

FYI - I know that Soul is a really big horse, because by the end of the day it is all I can do to get myself up on his back - I feel like I'm climbing up a tree! And he's a TANK to boot. But, I had never really thought about HOW BIG he is until we put him in the round pen panel stall that evening. His withers and butt were HIGHER than those 5 foot panels!

Sunday afternoon we started penning cattle. They were TOUGH!! Some of them were little babies - about the size of a big dog - and BOY can those buggers RUN!!!! And they tend to run in pairs, which are hard to separate, but you have to split them up or blow the run....FRUSTRATING!! It was a great learning opportunity because you could really see how you need to apply the horsemanship skills in order to control the movement of the cows. If you can't get your horse's shoulder moved away from the cow, that cow will quite likely turn the wrong way. And you have to remember to ANGLE when trying to head off a runaway cow, because you will NEVER be able to beat him to the herd. I also learned that you NEVER leave the hole, even if your teammates need help, because if you lose a cow up the hole because you left, then it is ALL your fault that you lost.....

We practiced penning until around 5:30, got the horses' settled for the night, had a cookout supper and then headed for the Belfast Harbor Inn to SLEEP. We were EXHAUSTED!!

We started Monday morning with a Continental breakfast, looking out over the ocean. Then, we headed back to the farm to get the horses' fed and warmed up. After having such a good day on Sunday, I was feeling pretty confident and challenged a couple of the girls to some RACING!! It was SOOO exhilarating - we laughed and laughed and had SUCH a great time!! Soul bucked a bit because he was having so much fun too!! He loves to run and hates to lose....I talked to 2 riders that were there for the clinic that Soul had bucked off in the past. Neither one of them can believe what I can do with that horse and that he hasn't tried to get rid of me yet. We sure have connected 'cause he will buck, but once I get off balance he quits. I think he also realizes that I'm trying hard not to upset him. I know that he hates to have me pulling on his mouth when we are penning. But, when you get excited and in the herd, it's easy to make that mistake. Robin stressed to me - MORE leg, LESS reins - and I worked REALLY hard on each run to apply that lesson. It got so that I would find myself having him on such a loose rein that when I needed to halt him in order to head in another direction, I would be pulling the reins back to my chin! Not a good thing, but it really showed that I was using less reining to direct him and more leg! If I can just teach him to whoa with my seat, we'll be the first team to run bridle-less!! Yeah, right!!

Anyway, we spent the morning penning. At the end of our last run, right before lunch, Robin was explaining to us what we did right and wrong. He told me that he wants to see me push it just a little bit more - that even though I'm getting more aggressive, he wants to see me go further. He said that Soul can handle it. I joked that I didn't think I could handle it - and he told me that HE KNEW that I COULD handle it!! I was so flattered and I hope that I can live up to his expectations....

Monday afternoon we learned sorting - 10 numbered cows are in a 50 foot round pen with an open gate. One rider goes into the herd, cuts out the number called by the judge and sends it past the rider guarding the gate. That rider then goes into the herd, cuts out the cow with the next number and sends that cow past the other rider who is now guarding the gate and then they switch again until all the cows have been run out the gate - in ORDER. The team is disqualified if any cow gets out the gate out of order. Whichever team gets the most cows out in 60 seconds wins! It's a REALLY fast paced game, and what a RUSH!! By the time we did our last run, I had Soul loping into the herd and really chasing those cows out the gate. The key is to not hesitate when switching riders. The rider at the gate needs to be able to judge if the cutter is going to be able to get their cow out without letting out any of the other cows and run in to get the next cow right away....we did okay, but we didn't win. But, we had FUN!!!! What a FANTASTIC weekend - I learned SOOOO much!!!!

#2 was sooo excited to tell me that another chick hatched during the school day when they all could watch!! When I took the brooder and chick food to school this morning, I noticed that one of the little girls was wearing a tiara. It turns out that it was her birthday! Boy, wasn't she excited to have the chicks hatch on HER special day!! ;-)

I just got a phone call from the principal and I didn't get the job...oh well.