Oh, Morainewood!

In December, my childhood home was razed. It was completely eradicated. 

In a year or so, all traces will be totally gone as the woods reclaim its grounds.

It is shocking to look at but still I am grateful to Lisa who went out and took some photos for me.

The ancient black walnut tree remains. It stood at the base of the home, guarding the basement garage. It is at least 250 years old now and I am glad it survived the demolition.

We parked my horse trailer under it - my dad took this old picture of me one summer evening as I was cleaning out the trailer's interior.

The concrete stairs down to the paddock in the ravine were left, a vestige of my earliest days as a horse owner.

You can see the handrail and some steps on the far left in this old photo of Amy, Flame, Nick, and Pokey waiting for me to walk down to them, bringing their breakfast.

The moss covered retaining wall next to the barn also survived. A large pile of big rocks has been dumped next to it so clearly something is planned for that area.

Surprising, the old mailbox was left, although for some reason, it was moved to the other side of the driveway and next to Gossip Corner.

Gossip Corner was a spot in the paddock where our horses would stand and call back and forth with the horses down the road. My dad dubbed it that as a joke and it stuck. The corner post of the fence remains, too. 

This spot was also where I would stand and wait for the school bus in the early morning. And when I think of how many early model horse journals, magazines, and correspondence (complete with SASEs!) were delivered to that very box... 

So much history at this spot that we called home. Family. Horses. Dogs and cats. Model horses. School and life changes.

This song expresses some of how I am feeling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSelQyMvMyE

My home may be gone, but the memories Morainewood will always remain.

Collections within My Collection: Steha Leihas

 My introduction to Steha Leihas happened very early in my hobby life. 

Fourth grade. 

My friend Bobbie had an unusual model in her collection that her grandparents had given her.

She named him Ross, and he had a hair mane and tail and wheels in his hooves so he could roll across the floor. (Not gonna lie, I have had fun rolling both of my Stehas across my desk!)

I learned years later that Ross was a Steha Lieha, imported from West Germany, and most likely distributed by Breyer. (Photo from Google Images.)

I thought he was gorgeous, and had kept my eyes open ever since, hoping to find one just like him.

 I looked a very long time.  It wasn't until 2017 that I finally found my own "Ross," only this time as a black circus horse. 

Nearly pristine, he also had his original "Steha Made in West Germany" label on his belly. I was thrilled!

I started actively looking for more Steha Leiha circus horses. I have found a lot of Rosses and several more circus horses, but that flocking on the body is fragile and easily damaged. Manes get messy and even pulled out, and tack disappears. And, the price for a Steha Leha even in poor condition is high.

I kept searching and in 2021 I found another one, one in good enough condition to justify the seller's asking price.

Unlike the black Steha, he has some flaws and someone had pulled all the green feathers off his saddle pad. His saddle is also too far back, but I chose to leave it there rather than risk damaging the flocking by repositioning it.

For a white flocked piece this old, I think he looks remarkably good for his age.

Their manes

and their tails are lovely which makes me wonder, 

did some little girl or boy brush them when they played with them? A thought that makes me smile.

The dapples on the white Steha are large and even comical. They remind me of pencil top eraser prints.

To protect both pieces, I have them loosely covered with plastic bags that are open on one end for some air circulation. I also have them on shelves that do not receive direct sunlight.  

I am not actively looking for more Stehas, although if I found the circus Steha in another color, I'd be interested. In the meantime, I am happy to have these two in my collection.

One Month to Go

I'm finished! Well, with trade shirts, that is.

Nineteen shirts, coming to Kalamazoo. Add in the two I made for the gentleman in Nebraska, and that's a lot of shirt sewing.

In the end, I was able to speed up the sewing process by dovetailing steps together. And, twice I did end up getting a shirt completed in just one day rather than the usual two.

Sometimes the pattern of the block print slows me down. On this shirt, I had to be very careful that I cut this fabric out so that I would cut right down the center of the design when inserting the placket.

Making so many shirts meant I went through a lot of sleeve buttons. I ended up ordering more buttons so that I could create enough sets to take to KZoo. (I sell sleeve buttons separately in addition to adding a free pair to each shirt.)

I finished the last of all those shirts on Wednesday and felt like celebrating when I did.

Don't get me wrong, I love sewing and I love making trade shirts. But, to make so many in a short period of time? 

I am ready to switch to something else for a while.

And that is bedgowns. I have a couple of those cut out and got started yesterday. 

I was able to find some very beautiful purple fabric for them - isn't this block print fabric stunning? 

That bedgown is far from done - I need to put in the side pleats and then finish the neckline and hem it. But I can get that done today, even though it's Friday and Nash and Molly will be spending the day with us.

I'll probably make 4-5 more bedgowns and then on my list are several "if I have time before the event" things I'd like to make:

- a set of panniers

Twinsies! I'm wearing my own panniers in this picture while one of Lisa's students tries on a pair.

- several pockets

- one or two wool cloaks

- twenty to thirty more mini bags for sleeve buttons 

Everyone who buys a shirt or a pair of sleeve buttons gets a mini bag to keep their pair in.

The mini bags are very quick and easy to make

plus they look nice in the display case 

and are a fun little bonus for customers.

I also need to start making beeswax ornaments (a Wednesday or Friday project when the dogs are here) and I need to call my friend who makes the maple cakes and order those for the event.

The Kalamazoo Living History Show is just one month away.

Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick!

BreyerMidwest Beau N' Arrow Arrives!

My BreyerMidwest Beau N' Arrow is here!

He is lovely. Massive, but lovely. Hah!

These were left over from BreyerFest 2025, so Breyer glossed 225 for BreyerMidwest.

He comes with a certificate of authenticity to ensure that, despite the belly label, there is no question that the glossing was done by Breyer.

I got him in a trade with Liz Cory, and she really knows how to pack a model horse for safe shipping. (Thanks, Liz!)

After a brief time on the photography shelf, Beau N' Arrow will move into the sewing room where I have several other shelf eater models.

I'm happy to add him to my collection, and he is a nice break from the constant sewing I've been doing.

There's another model from Liz on the way, too. This one is from Nancy Falzone's collection and it is due to arrive later today. I can't wait and will be listening for the delivery truck while I sew.

Stay 'tooned!

A Mid February Mish Mosh

The weather has warmed up here and the snowpack that's been on the ground for over a month has finally melted. Reason to celebrate!

So, here's a mish mosh of some things that might also make you smile - they sure did me. And a couple other things thrown in because, you know, mish mosh!

Gesundheit, Molly!

Mama had a sneezing fit the other day and Lisa was able to catch the very last part of it on video.

In case the video doesn't work, here's a link to it on YouTube. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/Grb4pYpglBU?feature=share

Sweet girl, no one sneezes like you do!

A Letter Blitz from Titan

Pony Pals Kate, Cambria, and Titan are my penpals. I love getting letters from them and I save every one of them.

Sometimes those letters sit for a while after they've been written while waiting for a stamp or a parent to take them to the post office. When that happens...

I get a letter blitz! 

Which I don't mind at all. I grab a coke, settle into my cozy reading chair, and enjoy opening and reading those letters.

All three kids draw me little illustrations on their letters, and almost always one of them is a horse or pony.

Western Earthquakes? Should I Worry?

The west has been having a lot of minor earthquakes this year. Sarah has felt them in Montana, and Jessica in Utah. The epicenters have not been close to either of them so I wasn't too concerned until Jessie sent me this map.

The red lines are fault lines and they pass very close to her home. (The brown portion of the map indicates that that land is actually elevated and part of Dry Mountain.)

Their home is up on Dry Mountain and they have a retaining wall surrounding their back yard to hold the mountain back. The two fault lines are just beyond that sagebrush covered rise.

Honestly, I haven't ever worried about earthquakes for Jessie's family. Wildfires? Yes, and with good reason as they have come very close to her home in the past.

But now that I am aware of how close those fault lines are to her and that the area has had some shaking, I do feel a little trepidation.

Gimme Some Elsie Mae, Please!

The western part of the Isenbarger clan gathered in Idaho this past weekend to celebrate Elsie Mae.

Gimme was thrilled to be holding her first grandbaby and it looks as though Elsie Mae was equally thrilled, too.

The occasion was Elsie Mae's baby blessing. 

Andrew, Titan, Jessica, Cambria, Dondao (Todd's Grandpa name), Jayci, JC, Elsie Mae, Gimme, and Kyle.

Great Uncle Kyle holding his sweet great niece.

Thanks to a Zoom link, we were able to be there for Elsie Mae's blessing. We hope to meet her at a family gathering later this year.

Now That's Service!

Our local Bob Evans has really good food. And Friday night, we had a server who topped all other servers.

Lisa ordered a breakfast plate and asked if she could have a little more syrup. 

When our server brought that extra syrup to her, it was three pitchers! And, she'd brought us all fresh biscuits and extra butter. "These are hot and just out of the oven, so I thought you'd all like to have some," she said. Yes, ma'am, we sure would!

Giddy on Up and Into History!

I don't know who these people are, but when this photo appeared on one of my living history social media sites, I had to take a screen shot.

Full marks for keeping that living history vibe going! And how wonderful that, despite their need for assistance to attend, they found a way AND did it with smiles!

Hmmmm... I wonder what I could do to my walker to make it horsey...

It's Wednesday, so Mama and Nashie are coming to spend the day. With the warmer weather, we will be able to be outside with them more today. 

I'll be sewing the very last trade shirt for Kalamazoo when its my turn to be upstairs, and cutting out bedgowns when I am downstairs keeping Molly company.

Should be a great day; hope yours is as well.