Halloween Happenings~~~~~~BOO!

It's been Halloween around here a little early this year.  Lots of friendly spooks and happy haunters were roaming around the woods out in back of Son and DIL's home on Saturday night.


They, along with her sister and BIL spent many hours making a fun night for the neighborhood children and their parents.  They even had a small generator set up in the woods so that the lights could be lit and all the fun things could be seen.




This is Son leading them through the maze.  Look at the expressions on the little guys faces.  It was probably the eyeballs in a jar......

Here is the Hubs sitting in the Rhino with some of the kids eating chili and hot dogs.  There was a ton of food including the mice that Miss T and I made the day before.  More on that later.

There was face painting.

Lots of decorations.

A fire in the fire pit that the parents sat around while the kids were running, jumping, screaming, hollering, yelling, rolling on the ground, playing tag, you know, the things kids are supposed to be doing on Halloween.

Of course the obligatory cemetery.

There were different stations all along the route with goodies for the kids to pick from.  Lots of things hanging in the trees and tons of fake spider webs hung everywhere.  Like I said, they put a lot of work in it and they said the looks on the kids faces made it all worth while.  :o)


Miss T and I made the mice for the party, well in this case we called them rats.  You drain the cherries and put them on paper towels, take slivered almonds and pick out ears that are kind of the same size.  You melt your chocolate and dip the cherry then set the Hersey kiss up against it, it will stick to the chocolate and harden in the refrigerator.  Put the eyes on with a tube of blue frosting.  Thank you to Miss Pea for posting this recipe last year!! 

Remembering Bucky

It won't be long before Halloween will be here and the kids are getting really excited.  Just think, ingesting all of that sugar should keep them flying for a week or more!  Before my neighborhood had so many kids I used to make Halloween bags out of fabric each year and tie them with orange and black ribbon after filling them with various and sundry sweets.  I knew better then to put an apple in the bag as it would probably be used to throw at my house.  It was okay to put homemade things in too, that was before the idiots put razor blades and other trash in things.  Always someone out there to try to spoil things for everyone else.  Now I hand out candy bars.


It's been sunny but windy here to day.  I really bundled up when I took Little Bud out for a ride this afternoon. Of course we both had on our hunter orange just in case someone had crossed over onto my posted land.  The leaves were swirling around his feet as we cantered along, so pretty, I love fall!  We looked and looked for the albino deer that live out back but didn't see him this time.  Dad and I saw two deer this morning when we were walking but not the albino.


We came back and I did evening chores while Kipper was intently watching something in the bushes.  I looked and looked but couldn't see anything but he just kept staring.  I finally got him in his stall and I took the Rhino out to see what was out there.  We've had a bobcat around, we see his tracks quite often and my yard man saw him up close and personal one day when he was working out in the field.  I didn't find anything, whatever it was it must have gone off in the woods.


I wish you could see what I wear around the barn especially during hunting season.  My friend Ann and I have always said we bet we could win a make over on some television show if they saw the garbs we wear when at the barn.  It's pretty sad,  sure not like in our younger days when we wore nice riding pants and shirts and  our tack was clean and the horses had matching lead ropes and halters.  Times change and some things just aren't so important as they once were.  It's the memories we made over the last 20 or so years that are important now as Ann had to have her wonderful horse put down about three weeks ago.


Bucky was 32 years old and in great shape except for his breathing.  What we used to call the heaves they now call COPD or something of the sort.  He had been on medication for a number of years that helped but these things get to a point where it's just not fair to keep a horse going and he had gotten to that point.  Many times it's hard to do the right thing when you have had an animal for over 25 years, you don't want those fun times to stop, it's like the end of an era.  But Ann did the right thing and now Bucky is up in our little horse cemetery with Buddy and Skippy.




                           Ann and Bucky

We are determined to keep riding together like we have for all those years so Ann is riding Nick and I am riding Little Bud.  We will still do more walking and talking then racing and tearing.  We will still talk about books that we have read and compare notes.  We will now talk about our grandchildren as we both have them.  We will talk about lots of things that I won't put in here.....:o)   She has seen me take three bad falls over the years.  We have worried about our sons when they went away to college together.  We have indulged in our heart attack sandwiches (grilled cheese) and fries as we like to call them in the little diner down the road on occasion.  And we have laughed more then imaginable.  And cried.  Like we did three weeks ago when we had to say good bye to Bucky.  Like I am now.

Do you ever forget where you put stuff?

Halloween is just a couple weeks away.  My dear friend Needled Mom sent me a pattern for candy bags for Miss T and D and I finished them this weekend.  It's a nice pattern that works up really quickly and you could put any number of combinations of colors and patterns. I put their names on with my embroidery machine but covered them up for in this shot.  Thank you NM for sending me the pattern!

I have been trying to organize my sewing room.  After the big make over a few years ago I have kind of let things slide a bit........ahem........quite a bit.  I have found all kinds of goodies that I forgot that I had so have a slew of projects to work on.  I discovered that I had already bought the sashing, border and back fabric for the quilt that I am making Miss T for Christmas........so now I have two sets of fabrics to pick from........  I normally make a new Christmas wall hanging each year for my DIL and grand kids so must get going on that.  I found a kit with all the different fabrics but the directions and picture of the project is not there....... I am hopeless.


We had another hay ride last night with the Sparkies from our Awana group at church.  I was expecting twenty and about 35 arrived! PLUS the person that was supposed to bring the dessert FORGOT so I was trying to find something in my kitchen and Mom's kitchen to give them.  I had some little bags of M & M's so those were the dessert instead of going into the Halloween bags!  Most of the parents came too which was nice plus a couple of neighbors were walking by so we invited them to go to.

This young man was in a cast so we thought it better that he go in the Rhino and not in the hay.   :o(

It was a good ride and the kids saw some deer which was really exciting especially for those that had never seen one before.  Some of the adults saw a ten point buck!  Now Val, I know you are drooling!  heehee! 


We always have a big bonfire.

After seeing the horses and filling up on hotdogs and punch the kids and parents headed home.  Next week we have the 9 and 10 year olds and will probably have around 40 and then that will be that for this year and the boys will move up to the stable.  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I don't want them to leave for the winter!!  It's only about 5 miles away but it's not like I can look out my window at any time and see them or walk out and take them a carrot.  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


Mom had a birthday last week and turned 86 years young!  Everyone came in to see her plus she got a lot of phone calls and birthday cards.  Cards are still coming in and she really enjoys them.  I think she looks younger then her age don't you?  I gave her a new perm today so she is all spiffed up to head back to Florida in a few weeks.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

I usually have a buddy when I am down in my sewing room.  This time it was Munchie.  See this pile of fabric, it's all put away now and my cutting table is clear! Yay!

Now she is out on the sun porch as I was out there watching tv.

This is Noodles, I can tell by the foot hanging down, he has some white on him.

They are great company and I enjoy them very much except when they catch a bird.  I keep telling them that I am going to put a cowbell on them so they can't sneak up on the poor unsuspecting birds!


Well I must get back down in the sewing room and hunt for the missing pattern.  I won't rest until I find it, it seems like I spend half my time looking for something.  Anybody else out there lose things???  :o)

Who let the dogs out!!!!---Paws On Parade 2010

Paws On Parade is over for another year and was a huge success!  We raised over $40,000 with more trickling in!  This was $8,000 more then last year which is a 25% increase which is no small feat considering the economic climate.  Lots of people were involved in this event to make it go smoothly and lots of fun!  I had my own walkie-talkie so felt pretty important! :0)


My family is extremely supportive of this event and always help out in any way they can.

Funsize helped out in Registration again this year.  It was freezing cold!

This is my best friend Ann and her wonderful dog Greta.  We don't have a dog so Mr. D and Cousin K walked Greta.

This is my DIL, she brought me hot chocolate and gloves for which I will forever be thankful!  Did I say it was cold?

This is D playing with one of the dogs that was up for adoption.  That is Miss T back to the camera and her little friend Katie.

There were big dogs.

And little dogs.

Long, short dogs.

And dogs driving by in cars that wished they were in on the action!

There were dogs with short legs.

And dogs being walked by me with my black and white snowmobile coat on and gloves.  Did I mention it was cold?   This little Jack Russell was up for adoption too.

There were dogs that were bored silly.

And dogs in costume along with their owners.

And of course dogs that were cold so they had a blanket tied around them.  I guess I did mention it was cold didn't I?

I loved watching the dogs participating in Fly Ball.

They just LOVE it!

Thanks to Son for taking all these pictures for me plus many more.  


It was a great day.  Just think of all the help we can give our furry friends with that amount of money!!!!  It will go a long way paying for medical care, food, toys and pay for the wonderful staff that we have.  They go the extra mile with the animals that come through our doors.  Unwanted pets that people have just written off are trained and brought back to good health by our staff.  They work with them constantly, teaching them the basics that make them good pets and then work very hard to match them to the right family. Also our foster families make a huge difference in so many lives.  They take these pets into their home until they are adopted out, the dogs especially do so much better in a home situation then in a kennel.  I met one lady Saturday that has four dogs but still makes time to foster others and take them home for the night to give them time out of the kennel.  We have a program called Dogs Day Out where approved people can take a dog out for the day to play and hike or just be cuddled and loved.   If you ever think you want to do some volunteer work please look at your own Humane Society, they are always looking for dog walkers.  It's good for the dog and good for you!!!

Hay rides and wildlife

We had our first hayride of the season last evening.  The Sparkies youth group came over for a field trip, next Sunday night will be the Cubbies and the following week will be the Truth and Training group.  We do this each fall and the children never seem to tire of seeing the horses and taking the hayride through the woods.  We were very fortunate this year as there were numerous deer sightings which thrilled the kids to pieces!


We had 30 last night and I was ready with a new hot dog and roll steamer which made it so much easier then cooking the dogs on the griddle.  We also had cookies that Miss T, Mr. D and I made in the afternoon plus chips, drinks and other goodies.  No one went away hungry, not even the raccoons who were the recipients of the leftover hot dogs and rolls!


Everyone fit on in one trip so it gave us more time to pat the horses and run around the yard jumping and leaping.  The kids, not the horses!  :O) 

We don't use the horses to pull the hay wagon, the Hubs does the honors.  We would love to have a draft horse at some point to pull the wagon and sleigh. 

We have had lots of wildlife out back this fall, more then usual.  One neighbor saw a moose last week, I've seen the albino deer, my yard man saw a bobcat and there are several does that still have this years fawns with them that we see very often.  We also see our lazy horses taking a sunbath on a sunny afternoon:

They heard me coming so started to get up!

We had our Paws On Parade on Saturday.  It was a sunny albeit blustery day and I finally sent the Hubs home for my snowmobile jacket to wear!  We were right on the rivers edge so it's always windier there too.  I don't have the pictures yet from Son's camera but I just had to share with you that we raised $40,000!!!!!!!


Isn't that amazing?!!  We have been working on it for months and when all was said and done that is what we ended up with.  Also one of the area vets pledged a day at the clinic doing spays and neuters for each $1000 that his team raised and they raised $10,000 so we get TEN days of free services!!!  The Kindred Spirits Team ROCKS!  Dr. Mark Hanks does more for us than anyone could imagine and a HUGE THANK YOU  to him and his team!!  


I will post the pictures as soon as I get them.  :o)


Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends.  Seeing pictures of all of that wonderful food on Pea's blog has made me very hungry for pumpkin pie and turkey!