The Wabash River Floods

The home I grew up in and where I had my first horses is on the Wabash River. Talk about a wonderful way to grow up - horses, a beautiful river, living in the country... I was fortunate.

But living on the river posed some unique challenges, one of which is occurring right now.

Flooding.

A river or creek over its banks is very, very dangerous. The current is fast and often carries debris such as uprooted trees and other items it has swept away. And sometimes the current is not going in the normal flow of the river due to the topography of the land it is flooding. You can get caught in a cross current before you know it.

I know this road very well - that's my parents' property on either side of it, but there is no way I would drive through that water. I could see there was a cross current running across the road. The drop-off off the sides of the road is about three feet; if I got caught in that cross current and went off the road, I could be in real trouble.

This gate and pasture are on the property adjacent to ours. All through junior high and high school I cared for the horses our neighbors owned and kept here. More than once I had to cut fences to rescue horses when the river came up quickly and the gate was underwater.

The neighbors no longer own horses and have donated this land to Niches, a land trust that preserves pockets of land and ecosystems in their natural states.

Another view of the neighbors' old pasture. The black marks on the tree trunks are actually a good sign. They're water marks - wet places that show how high the water was. The fact that they show indicates that the floodwaters are receding.

Sure am glad I don't have to fight that water and muck to feed horses today!

Including the Donkey

Faith is an important aspect of my life. So are horses. So, when I see a nativity display that is along the more simple, minimalist lines...

... the horse lover in me is always glad when the donkey is included!

(This nativity is on the grounds of the LDS Temple in Indianapolis.)

Parade Set for Sale

I puttered around this rainy Monday by visiting some of the local antique stores - it's so nice to be on winter break and be able to do so! I found a couple of things but left them behind (except for a horse planter like one my grandmother had; for $2 that came home with me!)

My favorite discovery was this:

 A western parade set! It was marked as being from the 1900s, but I think it's more likely the saddle is from the 1940s/50s.

 At $1250, it wasn't coming home with me, but I could still stand there and appreciate its beauty and craftsmanship.

My favorite part?

These headstall decorations! 

A Bearded Bojangles

My sister, Leslie, sent me this picture of her pony, Bojangles. She is the director of The Farm at Prophetstown in Prophetstown State Park and loans him to be used as one of the farm animals.

Bo is VERY popular; here he is with a girl who likes to come out and visit him and volunteer.

Look at that winter coat! And that beard he's grown!

(Now, if we could just get some winter weather - it's 50 degrees outside as I write!)

Licking the Flagpole, Abby-Style

"Stuck, stuck, stuck, STUCK!!" yells Flick  in A Christmas Story when triple-dog-dared to lick the flagpole.

 Well, Abby wasn't dared...

... but she did lick the bars of the metal gate this chilly Christmas Eve afternoon! Luckily, it wasn't cold enough to cause her tongue to stick, though.

Merry Christmas from Abby and me!

Horsey Holiday Tree

Not only do I have a horsehead wreath on my front door, I also have a horsey ornament tree!

I debated putting it out - only one of our six children will be here for the holidays, so our celebration will be on a much smaller scale. On the other hand, with no grandchildren dancing about with sugarplums on their minds, I can put some breakables out and not worry.

I still have a crate of horsey ornaments that I left in the closet, and I am hoping to find the Breyer American Pharaoh ornament under my Christmas tree December 25.

I need a bigger ornament tree for 2016!

My Christmas Wreath

My sister-in-love, Cindie, has a tradition of making me a horsehead wreath for Christmas.

 She brought this year's incarnation over this afternoon.

It will be up until Valentine's Day, at least! I really like it.

A Dickens of a Carriage Ride

Lafayette designates itself as the Christmas Capital of the Midwest. December is a festive month with the largest Christmas parade in the state, the Purdue Christmas Musical Show, McCord's Candies (which makes and ships homemade candy canes all over the world), and today's Dickens of a Christmas festival.

All of downtown (whose buildings are old, original 1800s-style architecture) is turned into a Victorian town with strolling carolers, an organ grinder, a brass band playing Christmas music, and a re-enactment of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. We decided to head downtown this morning with our kids and grandchildren.

We had a super time watching the organ grinder...

... and listening the the brass band...

The candy canes were yummy and it was fun watching them being made.

I didn't think the day could get any better. But then I spied this:

 A horse and carriage coming down Main Street!

I went over to say "hello" to the horse, and the driver invited us to go for a ride. It turned out that free rides were being given all day long.

I wasn't going to turn that offer down, so Jessica, Cambria, and I climbed into the carriage and away we went through downtown Lafayette! (I love the look on Cambria's face!)

 My view during the ride.

 Curt and Ian took the next ride.

I filmed their ride - that's Cambria wailing because she wanted to go again. Likewise Ian cried when his ride was over, too.

There was also a team of Clydesdales pulling a buckboard that could hold more people. I'm glad we got to ride in that beautiful carriage. For me, it was the best part of the day!