The Conner Longrifle Event

When you walk into a living history event and see a saddle in the first booth you walk by, that portends a good day, right?

And look at all that block print fabric! And the trade beads! But that saddle, those trade beads, and especially the fabrics were already very familiar to me.

Believe it or not, we'd happened to come in through the door right by Leslie and Rick's business, Chien Noir.

Unlike The Feast of the Hunters' Moon, this event spanned the 17th through 19th centuries, so Leslie was able to bring out her Civil War riding habit.

Craig and Rick chatting, with a display of trade beads and a rack of my clothing hanging beside it.

Unfortunately, the weather had cut down on the number of vendors who'd been able to come as well as the number of people in attendance.

This display of fischus (scarves) caught my attention. They are made from block print remnants, something that I have every time I finish a garment.

I fold those remnants up and tie them with string, pin a note with their measurements under the string, and then take them to The Feast and Kalamazoo to sell.

I sell out of remnants every time but only once have I gotten to see what someone made from them.  

The woman in the middle always comes to see me at both The Feast and Kalamazoo and buys lots of my remnants. The fischu around her neck is made from a remnant of mine. 

I walked around looking for women's clothing. I really wanted to see what other  people were sewing, and what they were charging for what they'd made. But I found very little - this event was a historical event but it targeted a woodsman/musket and long rifle bearing audience more than the general population of the time.

I did run into friends, include one of my favorites, Carol Jarboe.

She portrays Maggie, an indentured servant, and she is good at what she does - she stays in character the entire time.  She is also a retired teacher like me and has horses. We are kindred spirits!

Craig and I wandered around for a couple of hours, chatting with friends, then went back to Chien Noir to say goodbye to Leslie and Rick.

Leslie told me that someone was looking for me. When he had seen her display of my voyageur shirts, he asked about who'd made them. He runs an event in Ligonier, Indiana and wanted me to bring my clothes there.

In the re-enacting world, that is a huge compliment on the quality of your wares. But, his date conflicts with Midwest Mini Mayhem, a live show being put on by Kerri Johnson, Shannon Rodgers, and Kerry Walsh, and I've already entered their show. So, maybe next year I will take him up on that invitation.

On that happy note, we headed back home. I'm glad I was able to go, but I don't think I will go again as the event's focus is different from mine.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about one of my hobby besties and the unusual way she and I met.

Stay 'tooned!

An Unexpectedly Snowy Day

The Conner Longrifle Show is this weekend down in Noblesville. It's only an hour away and Craig and I had planned to go, but then this happened yesterday.

We were expecting only an inch or so of snow, 

but the storm shifted and we got 5 plus inches.

The initial layer melted and then froze, so there is ice under that snow and on the roads. As you might imagine, both Craig and I are very leery about ice right now.

Since I was not setting Jolis Chevaux up as a vendor, Leslie had asked if she could take some of my block print clothing with her and sell it at her booth.

She sells block print fabrics and having my clothing there to show people 

what can be done with block prints helps advertise and sell her fabrics. 

In the past, my shirts have sold well, so it helps me out, too. Win-win for both of us.

While it snowed yesterday, I spent my time sewing. I finished this hooded wool cloak and am so happy with how it turned out! I have green, navy, black, and dark cranberry wool in my fabric stash and plan to make at least one more cloak to take to Kalamazoo next month. 

With a remnant of the cloak wool, I made an 18th century pocket. 

And with the leftover hood lining fabric, I made two bum rolls. (I am going to alter the pattern; I think the bum rolls need to be a bit larger than this.)

The bum rolls are stuffed with wool roving and they take more than you might think - that wool roving compresses and it took about a yard of roving for each bum roll.

Finally, just for fun, take a look at what played out in our living room during the snowstorm.

I noticed that Nashie was lying very closely to Pepper with his head by hers. 

A bazillion toys were scattered over the living room floor, but he wanted the one she had. And he was willing to wait for it.

You can tell from his eyes that the wait has seemed like forever!

Poor Nash! He never fails to make us laugh. Such a good boy, but such a goofball, too.

Wish me luck - I think we are going to brave the snow and ice and head down to Noblesville.

If we do go, I'll share some pictures tomorrow. Stay 'tooned!

Models, Molly, & Me

 Hi, Grammy! It is so much fun to come upstairs and keep you company while you work. 

I had no idea what I was missing those five long years I was too afraid to follow Pepper, Millie, and Nash up here!

It's good to not be afraid of things any more. Why, I am even brave enough to take a nap while you work. I feel so safe in here and what a bonus -  Boompa is just across the hallway!

Oh, goodness me! I am so sorry! 

I couldn't help but wag my tail when Boompa came in.

I didn't mean to knock your horses off the shelves!

The noise they made was so scary! Could you please pet me for a minute?

Okay, I feel a bit better. But I am very sorry I knocked your models off the shelf.

Molly, I am not angry or upset. It was an accident.You are always welcome in my office, sweet girl.

For those who don't know Mama's back story - she was a puppy mill breeder for four years. She came to us absolutely terrified of everything, especially men, and spent her days on her bed in the living room, rarely moving, and with the biggest fearful eyes you ever saw.

Molly the day she was rescued. She'd just had a litter of nine puppies taken away from her. (This picture hurts my heart - that poor girl!)

She fell in love with Lisa and her dog, Millie and gradually came out of her shell. We ended up giving Molly to Lis where she absolutely bloomed. The real Molly emerged and she even got over her fears of Craig.

Molly and Craig taking a nap together.

Molly has been a part of our family for five years now, but it was only a few months ago that she finally ventured upstairs. Craig and I were shocked when she poked her head around the corner and looked into our offices, but we were also delighted. She now runs up and downstairs several times a day with Pepper and Nash.

(We've dubbed her the bowling ball - hang onto the railing when she's coming up or down with you!)

I love my collection, no doubt about that.

But this is far more important.

Horsey Super Bowl Winner & More

 And the winner  of the 2024 Horse Mama's Horsey Super Bowl is...

Nancy Kindraka!

Congratulations, Nancy! Please send your mailing address to me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. And thanks to all who entered - it proved to be a very popular activity among readers.

As for our family Super Bowl, sixteen of us participated this year. As the only non-football lovin' adult playing, it was no surprise that I didn't win.

It was a surprise, though, as to who the new family champion is. And my family had a lot of fun ribbing him about it.

Another surprise was that Hawkeye Todd was not on the winners' podium this year - he has been in the top three every year and this year he came in sixth. Since Curt sends prizes to the top three winners, there were a lot of jokes about cancelling Todd's annual Super Bowl donut order at his favorite donut shop, Jaarsma.

With the results in and published, the 2024 Super Bowl, horsey and football-y, is over until next year. And I already have ideas for questions and the winner's prize. It will be fun.

Thanks to all who entered!

Those Who Hold My Heart

This is my heart horse.

She has a perfectly formed heart right over her left eye.

I love that big white spot on her cheek, but that heart...

She's a sweet mare and she holds my heart.

This is my heart guy.

There is no one else I'd rather go through life with.

He's my heart guy.

These are my heart kids, in-loves, and grands. 

They hold my heart all around the country.

This is my heart dog.

She holds the hearts of two women

but her heart is big enough for two.

I am one lucky gal.

A Little More Trivia

There is still time to enter the Horsie Mama Horsey Super Bowl! Entries will be accepted until noon Eastern time today. Send yours to horsiemama8@gmail.com. (Be sure to self-score it first.)

The addition of the bonus questions was actually a last minute decision. I'd written a question whose answer was "Denver Broncos," and thought a few questions related to them might be fun. But, I also had a personal connection to them.

This blog post, written in 2016 when the Denver Broncos went to the Super Bowl, explains that connection.

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Our oldest daughter and her family live in the Denver area and avidly follow the Broncos (and the Packers and the Seahawks and...) They took me to the stadium once for an August scrimmage, so I actually have seen the team live and in person.

My classroom colors are orange and blue, too, but actually that is because my college degrees are both from the University of Illinois, a Big Ten team. (If there's anything I will root for avidly myself, it's Illinois basketball! )

But I have another connection to the Denver Broncos - one of  those "who'd have thought" ones.

Denver's mascot horse, Thunder, is ridden by a woman I went to junior high and high school with, Ann Judge-Wegener.

Ann trains Thunder (not the horse's real name) and is a judge and horse trainer, living in Bennett, Colorado.

She is a year younger than me, but we were in choir, band, and drama club together. I remember her as a very nice gal, one who was quiet and even a bit shy.

I actually remember very little of her horsey side. I think that is because, even as a teenager, she was riding in big Arabian breed shows while I was on a backyard Appaloosa mare participating in local fun shows. She and I were both in 4-H together,  though, attending Horse and Pony Club meetings and showing at the local 4-H fair and show every summer.

Our paths haven't crossed since high school, although her family is still here in West Lafayette.  We are also friends on Facebook and share a lot of mutual friends there. Ann is good about staying in touch with her high school friends.

Her father recently published a book titled The Bronco Girl. The book is available on Amazon, and I have a copy and have read it. Ann came back to Indiana and did some local book signings with her dad when it first came out. I thought about going to one and saying "hello," but had a conflict and could not make it.

I usually don't watch much of the Super Bowl (aside from the Clydesdale commercials...) but I am rooting for Denver in this Sunday's Super Bowl. I am also hoping to catch a glimpse of Ann and Thunder racing across the football field, and hopefully in the winner's celebration.

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The winner of the Horsie Mama Horsey Super Bowl will be receiving a copy of this book.

Stay 'tooned!