Changing the Decor

Tomorrow is the first day of meteorological fall. I much prefer going by the meteorological seasons rather than the astronomical ones. To me, they make much more sense with the way our calendar is structured.

By the meteorological calendar, spring starts on 1 March. The seasons are defined as spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February).

 Naturally, that means I must change the front door decor!

I got this fall horsehead wreath online on clearance early this summer and have been waiting to put it out! I'm a day early, but I'm not going to worry about that.

I hope to find one for each season and then rotate through them annually.

A Late Summer Day

Summer is winding down. There are subtle changes - I can now see the constellation Orion in the early morning hours when I walk Molly by the lake, the bird and insect songs are different (and come at different times of the day), and the lush green colors of Indiana are beginning to fade to a duller, less vibrant color.

Abby and Sultanna wait their turn at the trough. I had just topped it off, and that is always the best time to get a drink!

Despite the heat and the seasonal changes, the pastures continue to grow well and support the herd - generally hay isn't needed until December or so.

Diablo, the herd alpha and matriarch, cools off with a drink. She is an older mare and foundered years ago, but is comfortable and happy. She is so sweet that sometimes it is surprising when she shows the other horses that she is in charge.

Trouble is the biggest herd member, but follows Diablo's lead. He is SO NOSY that, when I am out in the pasture, I often carry a riding crop to shake at him - he will crowd up to you and get into your business if you let him, and he will not shoo off unless you tell him that you mean business. Trouble will also chase Abby away from me, another reason to keep him at bay. I'm there to visit her, not him!

Hokey is a friendly gelding who sometimes enjoys doing his own thing away from the herd. He is well accepted by them, but just likes to go his own way. I really like him - he enjoys people and is kind and gentle on the ground. Give Hokey a good scritching, and he is your friend for life.

Retirement means that I can take more time during my barn visits. I am no longer rushing out of school at 5:00, swinging past the barn for a quick carrot and pat, and then heading home for a night of dinner, laundry, and grading papers. I have time to putter and enjoy the herd, to observe seasonal changes, and concentrate on the horses instead of all the things I need to get done before the next school day.

Dare I say that I am beginning to enjoy retirement a little bit?

Spot On!

Finding that wonderful FAM with the giant spots at GLC has fueled a latent passion of mine - finding spot variations. I've had my eye out on eBay for a while, and decided that it might be a good idea to document what I had so that I make an informed search rather than relying on lucky finds like the one I had Saturday.

So, this morning I photographed the pieces that I had and for which I was looking for variations.

 The black Appaloosa Lying Foal. (The one on the right is a pearly.)

 The black Appaloosa Scratching Foal.

"Dappled Dude," the Western Prancer, and named after a Girl Scout camp horse I fell in love with when I was in elementary school.

 Some dapples, hmmm? Hah!

 My belly band Family Arabian Stallion.

 Say what you will, I think the FAS is a beautiful mold.

 My Indian Pony with light brown spots.

For this one, not only is there a size variation, but a spot color variation as well - there is a dark spot variation to find!

 My belly band black Appaloosa Family Arabian Foal.

 He has extensive spots!

 And Tribal Dancer, a piece from my carpet herd.

These are common pieces that would usually not go to a show or make a blog post - it's kind of nice to see them shine a bit!

 Finally, my sandy bay Quarter Horse Yearling.

I believe there is a darker color spot variation for this mold/color as well.

Wish me luck as I begin my search!

Big Spot Family Arabian Mare

I love the Breyer vintage molds, and recently have been interested in collecting variations, especially on their vintage Appaloosa paint jobs. So, as you might imagine, when I saw this girl for sale at Great Lakes Congress, I did a double take and then made a beeline to where she was displayed on Liz Cory's sales table.

 Those spots are huge!!

 Liz came over and offered her to me for a price that I felt was quite reasonable (even generous), so I bought her then and there.

 I already had this piece in glossy (my new one is matte) but I could not remember if the spots on it were normal sized or tiny (I knew that they were not ginormous like these), so I pulled her out when I arrived home from the show.

 She is a lovely tiny spot version! 

 What a comparison - just look at them together!

The collector in me is all over these two. I just keep looking at them, comparing them, and practically jumping for joy as I sit here at my desk typing.

Model horsedom has many different facets to it. Some people buy models for showing, others use them to showcase their creative sides and paint, sculpt, and make tack.  Then there are collectors like me who get giddy over something like big spots.

Those collectors like me know exactly what I mean!

When You Want to Cry

How ironic that all my show chinas came home safe and sound, only to have this happen to a resin that was left behind.

While unpacking, I was putting a piece back into the china cabinet and brushed against this one with my forearm. It tumbled over and out the open cabinet door, and then I  heard it smash on the floor. I just stood there, looking up at the ceiling with my eyes squeezed shut while holding tightly onto the one I had been putting away. Craig heard the sound and came running, knowing that that smashing sound was not good any time, least of all when I was in the china cabinet.

Still unable to look, I asked, "Are any legs broken?" and he replied, "I'm sorry, honey, but yes."

At last I looked down while Craig got down on his knees and gathered the pieces of my newest Circus Pony's legs.

I'm still looking for the missing hoof - I don't see it anywhere on the floor.

I am heartsick. I have wanted a Donna Chaney Circus Pony for years and years, finally having found this one (dated 2001 on the belly) in June. And now it is in pieces.

Ironically,  I had just said earlier to Craig, that I thought I was just about done showing chinas due to the risk of breakage. And this piece didn't even go to the show yesterday.

Off to have a good cry...

Great Lakes Congress Show

Liz Cory and Jamie Rott put on Great Lakes Congress (GLC), a terrific show in Huntley, Illinois five times a year. It is friendly and the competition top notch. Although the drive and show wore me out, I am still glad I went. The downside, though, is that I did not take too many photos of the show itself - I was simply too tired.

I traveled light, mostly showing chinas and a few Traditional Breyers plus twelve Stablemates as a means of lightening my load.

 Liz and Jamie starting the show.

I did really well in the china division although two pieces missed their classes - bad enough when that happens to an OF plastic piece, but chinas require a lot of extra care in packing and transporting, so that was frustrating.

 My Hagen Renaker Sherif won the Foals class, the first class of the day.

Harry Potter took second in the Foals class, while his mama, Windsong Adelaide, won the Longears/Exotics class. (I forgot to get her picture.)

 Hagrid placed first in the Ponies class.

 Windsong Sherif was division champion!

 Windsong Zara won the China Arabians class.

 And Windsong Sherif ended up as Reserve Grand Champion of the China show!

My Stablemates did not place in their classes, but Windsong Blue Boy won the Collectibility class for Pegasi, Unicorns, and Thestrals.

 He generally does very well and has multiple NAN cards.

Finally, I won the Anything Goes class with my celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Thelwell ponies. (I brought my Beswick Kick Start and forgot to put it into the display - another china that was packed but never made it to the table.) I had a lot of fun documenting the Thelwell pieces and then pulling them all together into one entry for the show.

I won some other ribbons, both in china and in OF plastic collectibility, and ended up being very glad that I had packed a smaller show string than usual. While I had fun, I was out of energy by the end of the show and still had a long drive home.

I have commitments that conflict with the next two GLC shows, but plan to be back in 2019.

Thanks, Liz and Jamie, for a fantastic day!

Grammy Gives Great Gifts!

(Well, that title is not really meant to be self-congratulatory - I just liked the alliteration!)

Since I will be at the GLC show all day today and then driving home afterwards, it is unlikely that I will be able to do any writing today, so I am posting before I leave for the show hall.

This is the baby gift that I sent Susan. 

It reads, "Born to ride horses with Grandma."

Actually it should read, "Born to feed carrots and peppermints to Abby with Grandma," but I couldn't find one that said that. (Hah!)

Tomorrow I will post some pictures from the GLC show - stay tuned!

The Night Before a Show

It's the evening before Great Lakes Congress' August show, and I have driven up to the Chicago suburbs and checked into my motel.

I usually stay in this motel whenever I come to GLC, but this time the room I am in is very dark and rather depressing. The fact that it is raining and overcast outside does not help the light situation.

 I even turned the bathroom light on so that it would spill out into the room, but it hasn't made much difference.

The bed was supposed to be a king sized, but I think that got changed when I asked for an accessible bathroom. (The bars in the shower and elsewhere are really helpful to me, so they are worth the trade off.)

Usually I don't arrive until after dark because I leave right when school lets out at 3:30, but now I can leave whenever I'd like since I am retired. However, I ran into three detours and one incident where traffic was at a standstill and ended up getting into the Chicago metro area during rush hour. Rush hour on a Friday afternoon in Chicago can take your breath away!

But not to worry - I am settled into my room and in comfy clothes.

 I brought some magazines that I have been meaning to read.

And, of course, I have my laptop to keep me busy, so I am looking forward to a quiet evening.

GLC is such a nice show, and I can hardly wait to get to the show hall tomorrow morning!

New Horses at Tim's

Tim has a large property with three barns, an indoor arena, and a loafing shed. The smallest barn, the blue barn with its attached pasture, is often rented to someone who wants their own barn and pasture and to care for their own horses instead of having Tim do it.

For years it was rented by a couple who were here at Purdue and had Rocky Mountain Spotted Horses. They moved to Chicago earlier this year.

This month we got a new renter.

 Someone who has two pretty grey Arabians.

 I haven't met them yet but hope to soon.

There is also a new trailer parked on the property, too. At first I thought it was the new renter's trailer, but since it's by the new barn, it may be Tim's. (Generally those who rent the blue barn and its pasture keep their trailers and things there, not up by the new barn.) I love trailers and want to get a chance to peek inside it.

I'll find out another time about the trailer and new horses - Tim's mother just passed away and he is heading to Canada for her funeral. I'll wait until things have settled down for him and ask about the trailer then as well as introducing me to the new renter.

Together Again!

I felt well enough to go to the barn and see Abby this morning - I think this is the longest I have ever gone without visiting her.

Naturally, she was in the barn with her BFF as it was midday and the heat was beginning to come on, but she popped her head out as soon as she heard me call.

 Out she hustled, eager for treats and a good scritchin'. I was soooooo glad to see her again!

 She has had a good summer, living as a horse should with free access to pasture, shelter, and water whenever she wishes. She is heading into fall in good flesh and health.

When the peppermints were gone, she watched me cut through the northeast pasture as I headed back to my car.

Abby always watches me leave - can you see her to the left of the white gate? She'll turn and go into the barn when she is sure I am really leaving.

I am pretty sure that Abby enjoyed our reunion just as much as me, and I am grateful to finally be feeling well enough to go to the barn.