Packing for the trip

Not much to write about today but in keeping with my new journaling vow I must think of something. The only thing going on here today is packing for our annual trek to Key Largo for Super Bowl Weekend. What is it when you are going away that you think the whole house needs to be spit polished right down to the basement? Am I the only OCD person that does this? I mean, we're going to be gone, no one can come visit and I know the cat doesn't care whether things are tidy or not. I should be doing something worthwhile like watching the Food Channel.

It will be nice to soak up some sun although with these mayo white legs I'd better have plenty of #45 sunscreen. Years ago I tried the tanning cream before one of these trips and ended up with orange knees and toes, now let me tell you that was classy! Now I just go au natural and people just know that I am from the north. We watch the Super Bowl in a large convention room on a 20 foot high screen with tons and tons of good food and drinks for those that choose to imbibe. I think I enjoy the commercials more then the game especially when they have the Budwiser horses in them. They are just so beautiful, powerful and graceful.

So anyhow, if I get this house cleaned I will be on a plane tomorrow headed for Miami.

Comfort Zone

I have decided to get out of my comfort zone a bit. That's not easy for me as I'm sure it's not easy for a lot of people. I have been asked to teach a quilting class at my church and I accepted. Then I panicked.......I just don't think I want to do this......but yet I really do so I am going to suck it up and go for it. I have 7 students signed up so far, all folks that I know at church, even one man!

I am not your artsy-fartsy quilter. I like the good old fashioned designs, the ones that have been around for years and years. I am your basic bread and butter quilter using the tried and true techniques although I do like to add my own touch to them and put in a flash of color somewhere unexpected or use some pretty bold prints.

Anyhow back to the comfort zone thing. I think we grow when we venture out, even if it's a small thing like teaching a quilting class, so think of me on February 15th as it's too late to back out now since it's already been in the church bulletin and once it's in the bulletin it's a done deal!

Shower Time

The phone rang last night and when I answered it a sweet little voice said "Hi Grammie, can we come over and take a shower?" Of course I said of course but wondered what was wrong with their showers. I should have known the reason, we had a complete makeover done on one of our bathrooms right back to the studs and I had one of those big showers put in that could hold up to four people if need be. (Let me tell you there will never be that big of a need around here!) Anyway with all the extra jets, hand held sprayer and big sunflower size shower head the grand kids think it is a water park made just for them. They arrived with clean jammies in hand and up they went and hopped into the 'water park'. I have lots of toys, fun Avon roll on soaps and squirt bottles for them to play with in there. I left the room for one minute and when I came back the ceiling was dripping wet and the walls and mirror were somewhat soaked........ Someone, who shall remain nameless but her hair is like corkscrews, had turned the hand held sprayer upside down and 'washed' the ceiling...... I really don't think it needed washing, it was freshly painted a couple months ago, but oh well this probably won't be the last time and as long as my two sweet munchkins are having fun, who cares!

The Gallery

Just a few shots of some of my guys. This is Skipper and Nick looking out their windows.
This is Nick the spring that he came to us.
This is my granddaughter doing Kipper's hair.
This is Buddy our Gentle Giant.

Horses Vol. 2

Kipper, our bay Welsh pony came to us a few months later. We were continuing our search for a grandchild appropriate pony and found him through friend that deals with Welsh ponies. She hooked us up with a stable in Massschusetts that only deals with kid friendly Welsh ponies. We contacted them and they had a pony that a little girl had outgrown and needed a larger one to compete with. THIS was the cute little fuzzy pony that we had envisioned and he has a show record that is excellent. We brought him home and he immediately won everyone over with his cute ways and gentle disposition. He has a bit of a weight problem (so he fits in well here) so we have to monitor how many extra treats the grand kids give him and not let him steal grain from Skipper. He loves the kids and will stand for ages letting my granddaughter comb his mane, putting ribbons and bows in and brushing him. He has spunk and is just an all around wonderful pony.

Then there was Nick (Mysterious Ways) a 6 year old Thouroughbred/Welsh cross. We really weren't looking for another horse or pony. Four was a nice round number but these things have a way of happening that just can't be expained some times. Nick is a show pony from Maryland. His rider also sadly outgrew him so he had to be put up for sale so that she could buy another more well suited pony. A business associate told his owners about us and that it would be a wonderful home so they contacted us and soon he was to head for Maine.

Now, let me tell you.....this pony came from one of those snooty show barns. Nick said "I'm going where???????? to Maine, to hicksville??????" I think he envisioned himself pulling a plow in a cornfield or something of that nature. Anyway, he came home with us and has certainly been a super addition to our family. No more horseshows in 90* heat just lazing around the barn with the ceiling fans on to keep cool and chilling with the boys. Hicksville isn't so bad afterall. He is bigger then our other ponies, he is one inch from being horse size so he will be just right for the grandkids to graduate to when they outgrow the other boys. He is a sweetheart and loves everybody. The first night he was here he was a bit homesick and was whinnying so about 11 o'clock my husband got up and went out to the barn and was gone for about a half hour. When he came back I asked what was wrong and he said that Nick just needed a hug and had put his head on my husbands shoulder and stayed there for the longest time. After that he was fine for the rest of the night and has been every since.

Horses

I had a dream last night that all of my horses got out of the pasture and I was trying to catch them. One of them even went into the lake and was swimming out towards the middle and I kept yelling for him to come back but he just kept going. Now what would make me dream that? Hummmm....a psychiatrist could probably have a field day with that. Let's see, it was my old horse (age 25) and maybe I am worried that he is old and going to die and I can't do anything about it. Does that make any sense? Probably not but it's the best I can come up with as I am not a psychiatrist just an overly protective Mom to my five guys.

Buddy (Downeast Moonbug) is a 25 year old appaloosa gelding that we have had for 13 years. My husband bought him for me for Christmas that year as we had been without a horse for a number of years and I was getting the itch to get one. We call him our gentle giant as he is a big guy about 1300 lbs. but he is as gentle as a lamb. He was used for dressage and jumping before we got him but quickly settled in as a trail horse. He is personality plus and is so good with the kids, they can crawl all over him and he doesn't blink an eye.

Our next addition was Lil' Bud (Tricolor Franchise). He is a 16 year old Morgan gelding and the prettiest one in my herd. He was in a riding stable and the owner had lost interest in him so he was very lonely. We leased him for a year and then the owner went through a divorce and put him up for sale and we bought him. He LOVES attention. I think it is because he was ignored for so long and is so grateful to be getting lots of love and attention. He is the barnyard bad boy though and rules the pasture with an iron tooth! Don't get in front of him when it's time to come in or you'll feel that tooth on your rump!

Skipper, our 7 year old Welsh pony came to us next. The grand kids had come along so we wanted a nice quiet pony for them to ride. We put an ad in the paper stating what we were looking for and got a call one evening about 7 o'clock. I questioned the man about him and it all sounded good until I asked if we could come see him that night and was there good lighting in the barn???? He said, and I am not kidding, "no lights in the barn but we can bring him into the KITCHEN if you want!" Now we just couldn't let that pass, we HAD to go see this situation!

We drove way out in the back woods of Maine and came to this house that looked like it needed to be torn down and sure enough that was the house. They brought out this sad looking little palomino pony that was under weight by about 75 pounds and my heart just broke in two. He obviously had been mistreated and wasn't the cute little round fuzzy pony that we had envisioned. We went home that night and couldn't sleep, got up in the morning and went out and got him!!!! He certainly wasn't ready for grandchildren or anything at that point but we knew he needed us and that's all that mattered. He now is beautiful, round and happy. He is not the easiest pony to deal with as he still has lingering issues from his abuse but we love him and he will always be with us. He is learning to trust us more all of the time with all of the gentle loving care that we give him and there is not a hint of that sad look any more.

Will write about #4 and #5 next post.

Scrapbooking Volume 2

As I mentioned before I am on a crusade to catch up on my scrapbooking. This morning on my way home from the gym I noticed a new scrapbooking store and my car just automatically turned in the parking lot. I had vowed not to buy any new gadgets, stickers, paper or anything else remotely connected with scrapbooking until I used up what I have.....which is a lot..... Well.....$122.00 later and I was happily on my way home.......and not feeling a bit guilty about it. (I do have my issues with guilt (in a previous post) but this didn't seem to apply.) The owner was soooooooo nice and I just wanted to help her out with her new venture and if you believe that line I have some swamp land property in Florida for sale.

Scrapbooking

I have been standing in one place for about two hours working on my memory books. I'm still working on the Disney World pictures but only have a few more to go. I think we have been to Disney at least 40 times since 1977. My son has grown right up there and could find his way around blindfolded if need be. He was awfully anxious to take his two kids there the first time knowing that he has such wonderful memories of the many trips there. They used to send us there on conventions so we would have a whole week of just exploring everything while husband was in meetings. They haven't done that for many years, now they send us out west to Arizona, Colorado or California. I guess they don't think Florida is exciting enough for those of us on the east coast. Anyway, back to the pictures. I have everything on my kitchen table and on the island. I like it better then working down in the basement in my sewing room but my kitchen looks like a hurricane hit it. Good thing my husband doesn't mind my creative messes as it's going to be that way for awhile as I still have many pictures to go. At least I'm almost done with two trips to Disney World, I'm ready for something else to work on!

Kid In A Candy Store

Like my title stated I feel like a kid in a candy store. My beautiful niece dcrmom has been helping me with all of this blog business. Today she taught me how to put pictures in my posts! What fun this is!!! Just for the fun of it I'm going to put a few in this one!

I love hobbies. One of them being scrapbooking. When I get into something I really get into it and have to have every gadget, sticker, paper, ruler, scissors etc that goes along with said hobby. I started it a few years back and couldn't get enough of it and redid all of my albums that were the old magnetic type and updated all of the others. I spent hours doing elaborate pages, spending a whole evening on one page with tons of detail. Well....then I got into quilting. Now I had to have every gadget, ruler, pins, cutters, mats and fabric that there was and guess what happened to my scrapbooking???? I left it for another hobby. Anyway after three years of photos piling up in my desk I have decided to get them all put in albums. Now they won't be the elaborate pages that I used to do but they will be in a book and might even have a sticker or two on each page. I have orgainized all of the photos and have filled one book completely and have started on the second album. It takes me a while because I get nostalgic over every photo and think about what a wonderful time we were having when the shot was taken. There are lots of pictures taken at Disney World. That is our favorite 'kid type' place to vacation. We've been there many many times but always find something new to see or do and the grandkids are just in awe of everything there so it's fun to see it all through their eyes.

Grandkids

Where do I begin writing about my grand kids? You know the old saying 'if I had known it was going to be so much fun I would have had my grand kids first' ? Well, in a sense that is true. You have all of the fun without any of the responsibilities that you had when you were raising your own kids. If they are cranky and tired they go home and you can hit the sofa and rest up. It is different, I have enjoyed every moment of my son's life (well almost, there was the Halloween party night but that is another whole story) but I agonized over different decisions concerning his well being as all parents do especially when you only have one child I think you tend to obsess a bit. With your grand kids it is just Fun with a capital F. I was there when my granddaughter was born. My daughter in laws mother and I were invited to the birth. Now let me tell you that was an experience I will never forget. When that baby came out it was instant awe and love. I will always thank my son and daughter in law for that precious experience! My granddaughter is a mix of tomboy and girly girl with a mop of beautiful curls. She loves helping me in the barn, shoveling horse poop with the best of them but then in the next breath is polishing her toe nails and experimenting with her hair. She is only 4, well soon to be 5 but has a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious belly laugh that never ceases to delight me. She is my clone when it comes to the horses. She loves them dearly, talking to them calling them baby and sweetie while she braids their manes and putting in different colored elastics and kissing them on the nose.

My grandson. He is the sweetest little munchkin there is anywhere. I remember the day my son came in the kitchen when my granddaughter was only a few months old and told me that she was going to have a little brother or sister. YIPPEE! Another grandchild, even sooner then I ever expected! Sooner then anyone expected..... ahem...... Those nine months went a little faster then the first and before we knew it he was here. He is the most beautiful child with big expressive eyes and a smile that will melt your heart. He loves his Power Ranger outfits and I really think that he thinks he is one when he puts the outfit on. He also loves Buzz Light Year and when he watches the Toy Story movie he has to go put that costume on. On one of our trips to Disney World when some of the others were on Space Mountain, Grampie and I went on the Buzz Light Year Ride with him 7 times in a row! He loves to swing and would stay in a swing for hours if someone is pushing him. I had a swing put in the basement playroom and pushed him for an hour and a half one day without stopping! I am so blessed to have my two grand kids and they only live a 5 minute walk away. I love it when I am outside and hear their voices as they walk down the path to my house through the woods. Some days when the air is just right I can hear their laughter as they play in their back yard on their swing set. Music to a Grammies ears!

The Winter Of The Strangles

1. Now that must sound like a strange title to you non-horsey people but to those that have them it strikes fear right to the tips of your muck boots. Strangles is a condition caused by streptococcus equi. It is highly contagious and is characterized by severe inflammation of the mucosa of the head and throat. It first appears to be a cold with symptoms of sore throat, runny nose and cough but develops into swelling of the lymph nodes that often rupture and produce tons of yukky pus. Let us just say that it has been Pus Central for the past six weeks. During the coldest winter months I board my 5 guys at a nearby riding stable that has an indoor arena. There are 12 horses and ponies there and out of the 12 eleven of them have had strangles. We don't know how we got it but it can come in on the farrier and vet tools or clothes if they have been working on a horse that is coming down with it and doesn't even show any symptoms yet. It can come in on a new horse but we haven't had any new horses come in so that is out. Regardless we have it in the barn and it has been awful. My old horse age 25 was so sick we thought we might have to have him put down the day before Christmas but thankfully he pulled through and doesn't seem any worse the wear now. I have become very adept at using a rectal thermometer a talent I could have done without for the rest of my life and been happy. We have given so many shots that we have lost count but thankfully we are past that now too. I love my horses, they are part of the family and when they are sick I am sick at heart because they can't tell you what hurts and can't climb in your lap to be rocked even though they would like to. So, six weeks later and everyone seems to be on the mend and I am happy. In 45 years of having horses I have never dealt with this and hope to never again. Let this be the Last Winter Of The Strangles!

Finally. I finally got to ride my new snowmobile today, you know , the one that I strongly encouraged (nagged) my husband to buy. There was not an abundance of snow but enough to get by on with only a few rocks protruding that I had to avoid without hitting a tree. We (my son and daughter in law) went about 8 miles through the woods and it was well worth waiting for. The trees were covered with fresh soft snow that shimmered in the sunlight. The grandkids chose to stay at the house with Grampie and have popcorn and juice boxes for lunch and get out every toy that ever was purchased for them. Thankfully they did decide to have some mac and cheese when we got back from our ride. It was cold out but I had on many layers of clothing so was toasty warm. Actually I had on too much as the hand warmers, thumb warmers and seat warmers keep you well heated! You could fry an egg on that seat! I had to turn it off half way home. This is what we are supposed to be doing in Maine in January, not golfing in 65* temps like a few weeks ago. Hey, I remember 1962 when it snowed for three days and the roads weren't cleared for several more. Now that was a hardy winter, not the wimpy kind that we have been having lately.

Happy Birthday Son!

It's January 20th and 31 years ago today I was feeling like 12 months pregnant with my first (and only) child. It was the days before the 3D imaging and all so I didn't know if it was going to be a boy or girl but I didn't care as long as I got that baby in my arms SOON! I had gone over about two weeks and looked like I was going to have quads so when the contractions started I was like YIPPEE HERE WE GO! About 17 hours later and still no baby it was getting scary. They decided to do a cesarean section as that baby just wasn't coming out so off to the OR we went. Again it was before they let you stay awake for this so I was in la la land while they got the baby out. And what a baby he was.......ten and a half pounds! When I finally woke up and saw him I thought he looked about a month old already! He didn't look like the other wimpy babies in the nursery, he looked like the older teenage brother! Thankfully he was healthy and had all his fingers and toes albeit big ones! I'll never forget that day, it was one of the happiest days of my life. My son has been a source of joy to me all of the 31 years, even the teenage years were relatively mild and he has grown into a wonderful man, husband and father. Happy Birthday!

Finally some snow!

When you live in Maine one would think that there would be some snow. Last year when my kids got two snowmobiles there was some snow and I saw them zipping by with big smiles on their faces. I mentioned to my husband that it would be fun for us to join them and we should get a snowmobile too. He said that there wasn't enough snow and the thing would just set in the barn with the horses looking at it wondering what it was and we wouldn't get any use out of it. Well not one to nag, but I strongly encouraged him to buy one because we would be having all of this fun with the kids and grandkids. It took some nagging, I mean encouraging, but we finally went out and bought this huge machine and a trailer to haul it in. I should have seen the writing on the wall as it was February, 50* and raining........ We did not get one more flake of snow all winter and I only drove my new machine from the trailer to the barn on the gravel......... Now another year later we finally get some snow so I go out to start the thing up and the battery is dead.......I take it in and they tell me I need a new battery........mind you this thing has hardly been out of the box but $70.00 later I am the owner of a new battery. Let's hope the thing starts tomorrow!!!

A New Adventure

As I have been fumbling my way through the blogging set up I wonder if I will have anything terribly exciting to write about. I faithfully read numerous other bloggers writings and marvel at how they take a simple daily activity and make it sound so interesting and comical. I have an active life and laugh a lot so maybe along the way I can bring a smile to someones face. I'm a midlife Mom with grown children and two grandchildren. They live close by and I see them often which is nice as I always wanted to be a hands on Grammie. I also have aging parents that live with me and that is a chapter unto itself! Hummmmmm, three generations in one house on many occasions, now that is a bit of a challenge at times! Thankfully the older generation is in Florida for a few months soaking up some sun, hopefully not wearing a thong or Speedos!