Fall Break at Last!

Lisa and I both teach in the same school corporation and are on Fall Break. She's lucky - her school is down the road from the barn while mine is twelve miles away!

I was headed out to see Abby and knew Lisa was using one of her days off to catch up in the classroom. That meant she was close to the barn and might not mind taking a break from her work. So, I called her and asked if she wanted to head out to visit the herd with me. Of course, she agreed.

 She had Millie with her, and Millie always loves to visit the barn!

 Diablo and Hokey were in the northeast pasture...

 ... while Abby, Trouble, Snickerdoodle, and Sultanna (who is back from training) were in the northwest pasture. The gate was open between the two pastures, and the herd had spread out.

 I LOVE this picture of Trouble and Lisa in similar poses!

 Having Lisa along meant that I got some pictures of me with my girl. She snapped some while I offered Abby her carrots.

 I have discovered that pasture ornaments are good for the soul.

Helping Document Hobby History, Part 1

Nancy Kelly is a long-time, well respected model horse hobbyist. A month or so ago, she asked those of us who have been around a while to respond to a survey she is taking, one that she hopes will help document how our hobby began.

I've been around a while, and so I wrote her and told her I would participate. I haven't done the survey yet, but she did say that any old hobby magazines I had or other ephemera would be appreciated. I was happy to send her things, and so yesterday, as I cleaned out the hobby closet, I took photos of several things I thought would be of interest and should be documented.

First up? The article from the October, 1970 Horse and Rider Magazine which had magazine editor Ray Rich judging IMPHSA's championship photo show.

I wrote to Nancy,

This photo is where my "hobby beyond the carpet herd" began. I'd collected since 1963 and had two friends, Bobbie Vance and Carol Holmes, who also had carpet herds. All our stables had Native American names - I was Pawnee Stables (located in Pagosa Springs but I thought it was Pagosa SPURS, Colorado, Bobbie was Apache Stables, and Carol, Cherokee Stables.) 

We would get together after school and on weekends and hold horse shows with our stables. But it was never beyond the three of us until Horse and Rider Magazine, to which I had a subscription, had editor Ray Rich judge the championships of IMPHSA (International Model Photo Horse Showers Association) run by Ellen Hitchins in California and Simi Smiljanic in Indianapolis.

I wrote for information right away, and it opened a whole new world for me! (Bobbie and Carol did not share my enthusiasm - they were ready for boyfriends and I was not.)

This is  photo of a xerox I made a few years ago. I do still have the magazine with the article but did not come across it yesterday.

Lynn

Cleaning the Hobby Closet

This afternoon I FINALLY got the time to clean out the closet in the horse room. Mostly model horse and Star Trek/Star Wars things, it is always fun to pull things out, see what I've got tucked away, and get it organized again.

 It was a mess.

 Things were stacked up in no particular order.

I pulled out eight empty boxes that I'd tucked away for future use. I may keep them, but I really don't need eight.

All done! And it looks so much better.

Who's That?

I had a retirement seminar to attend tonight, so I did not get out to the barn. Lisa went in my stead, and sent me a couple of pictures of Diablo, Snickerdoodle, and Abby.

 At first I did not realize that Abby was in the photo.

But that white blaze really makes her stand out!

Show Report - Great Lakes Congress

Great Lakes Congress was so much fun! (Er, barring the Chicago traffic, that is.) Craig and I stayed in the Courtyard Suites in Elgin Friday night and then drove over to the show hall in Huntley early Saturday morning.

I did not take my usual show string; I decided to try some unusual entries since this show was double judged for collectibility and I wanted to see how those pieces would do.

Across the table from me was my long time hobby friend, Sande Schneider. When it comes to Breyer and collecting information, there is none better than Sande. I've known her since the early 1990s when I used to hold Lincoln Live in Urbana. 

Craig spent much of the day in the show hall with me, helping me listen for classes, run out for lunch, etc. (The woman in the photo is Reta Mullemann. See the glass flower in the vase? It was her 35th wedding anniversary, and her husband had tucked that into one of her show tubs as a surprise!)

Several vendors were present with an assortment of new and vintage models, horsey books, and other hobby items for sale. (I was a good girl - I only bought one tub of sticky wax.)

I was right by the OF ring which was very convenient. And in the center of the circle of rings was a life-sized equine skeleton! Perfect for a show that was just before Halloween!

 Complete with a halter and an orange lead rope, too! It neighs and has red eyes that light up. The skeleton horse can be found at Home Depot, but at $200, I'll pass.

I had entries in three rings at first, so it was a bit of a scramble to keep up as the show moved along at a good clip.

At first, my intention was to take photos of every piece I had that qualified for the North American Nationals.

 That lasted just two entries - I could not keep up with taking pictures while running from ring to ring!

Working on putting together my Native American set up for performance. I rarely do performance because it is costly and because tacking up tiny ones is painstaking work.

 And, I discovered I'd forgotten my new doll stand, and so I had to lean the dolls against the model. I tried to make it look realistic, but knew that that mistake would hurt my entry. Still, I took second place - a performance entry qualified for NAN!

My true collecting passion is the vintage pieces, so when these two mint in box Indian ponies showed up, I had to take a picture. They belong to Liz Cory.

 During lunch, I asked Craig to take a picture of me with the skeleton horse. It turned out that, not only was it a decoration for the show, it was also an entry in the Anything Goes class - and it won!

I also made an entry for the Theme class. Mine was "The Phony Pony Circus" and I brought out my Shiken Circus ponies, one of which is a very close copy of the HR Head Up Circus Pony (the real deal is above the card.) I'd seen it on eBay and was nearly fooled into thinking it was a real HR. I love circus ponies, and so have added more Shiken pieces as they pop up on eBay.

One of the things I like about GLC is that their tables are nice and long and the show hall is so big, no one is cramped. There's lots of room to spread out and walk around.

Class after class, I kept taking second place. One shower was beating me consistently.

Sande Schneider! She had entries like this very rare Proud Arab Mare in glossy Appaloosa with box! But coming in second to Sande is okay with me - she's the best of the best, and I am delighted to even be able to hold my own against her outstanding collection.

I did bring something that drew some crowds, though, when I put it in the show ring.

 I finally brought out my boxer clock. Only two are known to exist, and it earned two ribbons and NAN cards.

I had to laugh - the class was double judged. Sande and her wonderful Davy Crocket clock and I each got a first from one judge and a second from the other!

The flocky class was small but tough. The purple rocking horse was a stellar entry!

The show ended at 4:00 in the afternoon, giving us plenty of time to drive home. I qualified eleven pieces for NAN and had a wonderful time. I don't show much any more, so it is nice to know that I can still hold my own, especially when showing against Sande, the best of the best.

Packing for a Show

I don't get to very many model horse shows due to time constraints from family and teaching. If a show is more than three hours away, it is doubtful that I will attend. But I am lucky to live in a "hub" of showing - I am on the fringes of several very active show radii and that gives me some choices and flexibility as to the shows I choose to attend.

Tomorrow I am heading to the Great Lakes Congress' No Frills Collectibility Show. It is a relaxed, friendly show, but the competition is top notch. And, it's a collectibility show, and that is my collecting focus. Win-win!

I've been prepping and packing for two weeks. It is the end of the first quarter at school and I have had parent/teacher conferences, so no last minute show prep for me!

 The tubs and boxes are all ready to go...

... save this possible performance entry. It's a vintage Lakota Sioux costume by Kim and Lenore Jacobs, and I am on the fence about showing it. It's lovely, but is it competitive? I will probably pop it in and take it, then decide at the show if I want to put it out for judging.

 I've typed up my entires and the order their classes will be called.

 Unused packing materials are all in one spot and tidy. (I hate to come home to a mess after a long day showing and traveling!)

 There are bare places on my shelves...

... where pieces that are going to the show have been removed.

All that's left to do is to finish my last parent/teacher conference before school this morning, teach all day, do some final prep for Monday's teaching so I don't worry about it over the weekend, pack the car, and go!

I'll post a show report a day or two after the show. Wish me luck!

Puzzles with a Pony

Do you happen to notice the family resemblance in this picture?

 Er, to Cambria, not the stuffed pony!

Last week Jessica took Cambria and Titan to their local library. She told me that Cambria grabbed the stuffed pony, put it in a chair and got it a puzzle, set one up for herself, and then did puzzles with the pony!

I'm not much of a puzzler, but a pony and a library full of books? I'm all over that!

 There is definitely a family resemblance going on here!

Is She or Isn't She?

Years ago, someone turned out a yearling colt with my mare, Amy. A year later, she surprised us by foaling a colt that my sister kept and named Rusty.

As you might imagine, I have been a bit wary of dealing with colts ever since.

Tim is an excellent horseman and knows what he is doing. Still, when Snickerdoodle was put out with Abby, Amy's unexpected foal came to mind. Snickerdoodle's been gelded, but I really don't know when that happened as my summer was so crazy with my mother and mother-in-law both dying and my spinal fusion surgery. Worrying about Snicker's "status" just hasn't been a priority.

Still, there's a part of me that hopes that maybe Abby could be in foal. I would never deliberately breed her, nice as she is, because I no longer have the time or energy to train a baby.

But, were she to become pregnant accidentally like Amy did, that's a different story. I would welcome and keep her foal.

 And so I am watching her belly carefully even though it's early days yet.

 I view her from the back...

... and the side/back, just in case.

There's a part of me wistfully hoping that Abby might be in foal, and then the more rational part of me steps in and remembers that the chances are very, very low.

Whatever happens, happens. But I'll admit that my fingers are just occasionally crossed that a baby might be on the way.

A Beautiful Fall Day

Saturday was one of those gorgeous fall days you wish you could preserve forever. The sun was out, the temperature was just right, and the leaves were starting to turn colors. After lunch I drove out to visit with Abby.

Taking a selfie with her is always tricky - her head is so big it's hard to get it all in there.

She is just starting to shed, so I gave her a good rub down to get rid of the itchy spots. (That's Snickerdoodle's tail and rump just above her mane.)

 We are a third of the way through October, so I know we won't have too many days like this left before the weather becomes cooler, the leaves drop, and the light isn't as brilliant. In the meantime, though, I'll make the most of what we have and enjoy the time with my girl.

Black Beauty

Every Friday in my classroom, two students present the classic book they have read for the semester. The assignment includes writing a paper and doing a project.

It is always an extra special day for me when one of the books is a horsey one - Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague, The Black Stallion, etc.

Yesterday, CP shared a clever paper on Black Beauty (done as a series of journal entries!) and then this beautiful woodburning of the main character.

It reminds me a bit of the Denver Broncos logo!

I think it is stunning.

The Cherry on Top

By habit, I went to the old barn last night to visit Abby only to find it empty and with no horses in sight. So, I got back  in my car and drove around to the southern part of the property to see where the herd was.

Tim had moved the horses to the front paddock for some fresh pasture.

Since the paddock is surrounded on two sides by lanes, there was no sneaking up on Abby!

She saw me pull up in front of the new barn and made it to the gate before I could walk down to her.

 She is wondering what I've brought her. Carrots? Peppermints? Apple slices?

I visited with her for a while, rubbing her head, scratching some itchy spots, and just enjoying being with her as she munched her sugar cubes.

 As I did, I realized that when I am having a bad day, being with her helps me let go of my frustrations, see the bigger picture, and relax. And when I am having a good day, she makes that day even better.

She's like the cherry on top of my day!