Scare at the Barn

 No one ever wants to receive a text like the one I received from Tim on his last day out of town.

My heart dropped when I read the text.

Since Kyle and his family were heading home, we'd gone down to Indy with them as they wanted to see the temple where Craig and I serve once a week. I was an hour away and not able to run out to the barn to check on things!

 His family also wanted to celebrate my birthday by singing to me. (I love little Melissa's voice chiming in with her family's voices!)

I texted Tim back and got some more information - neighbors, bless them, had seen people walking around the property that they did not recognize so they had called Tim to let him know. Clearly, though, there was nothing I could do until I got home. I knew Tim would call the sheriff if he felt the situation needed it, but I was still anxious to get home.

I zipped out to the barn as soon as were were back in West Lafayette. All seemed normal, although I walked through the new barn to check for missing items as well as looked at the horses and counted noses.

I also took a photo of a truck parked at one of the homes on the property (there are two homes; an old house with the old barn and a new house with the new barn) but I suspect that that belonged to a visiting family member. Still, I made sure I got a photo of the license plate.

So, who did the neighbors see? My guess is that the folks renting the blue barn had friends come out and help them move their horses to the south paddock. The horses were not there the previous afternoon when I did a barn check, so I suspect they had been moved that morning.

All is well, and I'll say it again, bless those neighbors who saw something unusual and reported it!

Florida Fam: Twins Reunited!

In April of 2012, I was trailering Abby from Indiana Horse Rescue to her new home when I got a call from Beach Son Kyle. "Ashley's in labor - the baby will be born today!" Corinne (Cory) arrived a few hours later, and we have called Abby her "twin horse" ever since. (When Cory was just learning to talk, she pronounced it, "tin hoss." How I miss that sweet phrase!)

The twins together in September, 2017 when Kyle's family came and sheltered with us as Hurricane Irma bulls-eyed their town, St. Augustine.

Abby and Corinne reunited again this month. Cory no longer needs me to lift her up in order to pet her twin.

Trying to not giggle as Abby reaches through the bars of the gate, asking for some more peppermints.

We thanked Hokey with some peppermints and apple slices for being such a gentleman while the kids rode, but we also made sure everyone else got a nibble, too.

Next up? A scare at the barn. Stay 'tooned!

Florida Fam: We Ride!

One of the first things Kyle's family wanted to do was to visit the horses and go for a ride. We went early in the morning trying to beat the heat, but already the temps were climbing.

Curt, Lukie, Cory, Whitney, Braden, Melissa, Addie, Kyle, Ashley, me, and Craig on the veranda of the new barn.

We often pop kids up on Hokey bareback as he is gentle and trustworthy. So, with the heat and all, I just put a halter on him, brought him into the small paddock behind the new barn, and the rides began. 

Going for a ride was a family effort - someone needed to lead Hokey and then we needed a person on each side of the rider. Here I am leading Hokey with Kyle and Curt as side helpers. That's Lisa standing on the flatbed trailer - we used it as a mounting block.

Cory was especially excited to be at the barn - she would like to be a farmer when she grows up. (Isn't that a good picture of Hokey?)

I didn't make it around the paddock too many times - heat bothers me, so Lisa took over for me.

Melissa's first ride on a horse! And no doubt it is not her last one - not with me as her Grammy!

The other kids waited in the shade of the new barn for their turns. 

Even a couple of the adults took a spin around the paddock. 

Curt.

Braden. (Another pretty shot of Hokey.)

Addie. (She'd have ridden all day, even in the heat, if we'd let her!)

Hokey was such a good boy. He never balked or argued, and walked carefully around the paddock no matter who was on his back. (He got peppermints and apple slices for his efforts.)

More on our barn visit to come. Stay 'tooned!

Staying Cool

Beach Son Kyle and his family just left on the last leg of their five week cross country trip so I'm able to post regularly again. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."

We continue to be under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s and heat indices up to 105.

Tim is out of town and so I am the one in charge of daily checks and making sure the horses have plenty of fresh water.

I love to watch horses drink - their ears tip back and forth as they swallow.

See anything floating in that trough? (Beside some grasses and leaves.)  I accidentally dropped an apple into it when feeding it to Abby. 

She and Hokey both played bobbing for apples while they tried to catch it. Finally I reached in and grabbed it for them.

Sultanna in her beautiful palomino-ness.

The forecast is for the high temperatures and heat indices to continue though the weekend. It's been over a week, and we need cooler temps desperately. 

With a bucket of apples from the ancient apple tree out in the pasture, we may be playing some more bobbing for apples, just to keep cool!

Starting off with Horsey Fun

Beach Son Kyle's visit to us started off with (what else?) some horsey fun. Whenever we see our grands,  I always like to have a little gift or something for them. And, depending on the grandchild, some of those gifts are horsey.

Addie is a very responsible young girl, and so she received Home Straight, the BreyerFest 2018 crystal horse.

She's old enough to appreciate it as well as take good care of it.

I gave Cory this water globe from BreyerFest 2014.

 

And Whitney got four of the blind bag Stablemates. She liked the Missouri Fox Trotter best. (I like that one, too.)

For Melissa who is two, there was a Breyer plushie pony, and then a mint and complete set of early Dark Horse Star Wars comic books for teenager Braden. (In addition to my model horse collection, I have a collection of Star Wars and Star Trek items.)

 I occasionally buy Breyer's grab bags and use them for donations to shows, as prizes for Happy Trails and The FAMulous Collectibility Show, or as gifts such as these. 

They also work well for grandchild gifts.

Florida Family

So this happened! Beach Son Kyle and family arrived. 

All the upstairs bedrooms are full, including my office where I write, 

and writing downstairs with all the family and dogs just didn't happen this morning.

I'll be back tomorrow! Stay 'tooned!

18th Century Riding Habits: Piecemeal & Apace

"Piecemeal" is a good word for describing the sewing of the two riding habits. There are so many individual pieces that go into the construction of each one, some of which have to be completed before others can be started, while others can be finished individually and then await final stitching. 

My head is spinning! 

To help me with this massive project, I texted my sister and asked if I could run up to her farm and borrow some of her habits.

An armload of her jackets and waistcoats (pronounced "WES-kits) temporarily piled on the back of my living room couch. 

Seeing how they are constructed has been an enormous help to me as I figure out this pattern. (The more I get into the sewing, the more missing steps I am finding.)

Now I have riding habits piled on couches and hanging in closets, but I am so glad to have them to refer to.

Aside from the hems, the petticoats are finished. 

One of the habits is for Teacher Daughter Lisa, and she pops in after school for fittings.

I don't like sewing things piecemeal, but because I don't have time to waste, I have to. For example, I finished parts of the the jacket lining (above) but I needed Lisa to try it on for fit before proceeding. Since she can't come until school is out at 3:30, I had to set that aside and work on something else.

Both my sewing and my embroidery machines are getting heavy work outs, sometimes at the same time!

I am embroidering the pockets that will be worn under the riding habits. This 18th century Jacobean flower design has 84,000 plus stitches in it. 

A completed pocket. Pockets are tied around the waist and worn under the petticoat. (These were the forerunner of modern pockets that are sewn into our clothes.)

Another reason things are being made piecemeal is that we still need to choose embellishments and buttons. I have the waistcoat finished; now I need to add the trim (gold or silver?), buttons, and buttonholes. 

But I can't make the buttonholes until I know the size of the buttons.  So, I've set the waistcoat aside and moved onto another part of the habit.

The work continues apace. (A great 18th century word that is very fitting! Er, no pun intended there.) And my mind is spinning with all that I  have to do to finish these habits before October 9. 

Aside from the petticoat, I haven't even begun to work on the jacket and waistcoat of the second one. Any guesses as to who it might be for?

Summer Heat

Temperatures have been sizzling hot here - in the 90s with such a high humidity that it makes you feel like you have walked into a sauna when you step outdoors. (If you've ever been to BreyerFest, then you know the kind of heat and humidity I am describing.)

The horses feel that heat, too. So, when I did a barn check yesterday afternoon, they weren't sure that a couple of peppermints made leaving the coolness of the old barn worthwhile.

After considering it for a minute, Abby started ambling over to see me, Sultanna tagging along behind her.

Sultanna's color is simply stunning. I am going to see if I can get better photos of her today.

Trouble came out of the barn to nibble on some pasture, but Hokey stayed indoors where it was cool.

While checking the mares, I discovered a minor cut on Sultanna's chest. Tim is out of town so I texted him photos of it, but like me, he wasn't too worried. I'll keep an eye on it and make sure the wound is healing and doesn't become infected while he is gone.

Since temps are expected to be in the 90s all week long, I plan to do barn checks earlier in the day before the heat has a chance to ratchet up. Wish me luck with that -  I just took Pepper out to do her business and at 5:15 AM it is already warm and sticky outside.

This heat and humidity makes me consider doing the barn checks at 2:00 AM !

Craig is Honored

 Second post of the day, and non-horsey.

Saturday night, Craig was surprised to be honored by our State Representative, Sheila Klinker, at his high school reunion. (His high school class is unusual in that they have stayed in touch over the years and have well-attended reunions every five years. This was their fifty plus one.)

Craig was senior class president and involved in a host of service activities while in high school, some that continue on to this day. He has done a lot of behind the scenes work for his alma mater as well as our local community that most people do not know about because he is the kind of guy who quietly serves and doesn't look for pats on the back when he does.

But those who he serves, know. And so, as a big surprise to him, that service was honored Saturday evening with recognition by the Indiana General Assembly. 

Craig with his award; State Representative Sheila Klinker is to the right.

Craig is the most selfless man I know, and for years I've watched his quiet service to his classmates, school, church, and community. I am delighted that someone else saw all that he does and then thanked him for it by honoring him this way.

Congratulations, Craig! 

Mystery Family Arabian Foal

Earlier this summer, I found an unusual Family Arabian Foal. At first glance, I thought it might be the Five Gaiter sorrel version, but it didn't have the bald face.

It was only a couple of dollars so I brought it home to see if I could figure out what it was. I'm still puzzled.

The piece is matte and has a pearly-esque sheen in his right foreleg and from the shoulders up to his head.

Unlike the regular run FAF, his hooves are grey

but the facial stripe is the same. 

I decided to pull out my other two early FAFs in bay and compare the three of them.

From left to right: my glossy carpet herd FAS that I've had since the mid 1960s, a matte bay FAF with USA stamp from early 1970s, and the mystery FAF.

Grey muzzles on the two on the left; the mystery foal has a pink muzzle. All three have the striped face typical of the early releases.

Hoof close-up. Two with black hooves, one with grey.

Black ears on two; brown on the mystery foal. I have debated with myself about this, but I think the ear shape varies - the mystery foal has a more pointed right ear. (There are several ear variations on this mold - they were changed by Breyer several times.) 

I couldn't get a good enough picture of it, but the mystery foal's mane and tail are a very dark brown, not black like the other two. And, the socks on the mystery FAF are shorter, front and back.

A view of the USA stamp under the Breyer stamp on the matte bay from the 1970s. 

The striped face rules out the Five Gaiter sorrel version. So, what did I find?

I think it may be the 1982 SR Holiday release by JC Penney and also sold by Bentley Sales. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

The lack of a USA stamp stumps me, though. The stamp was introduced in the early 1970s; since my piece doesn't have it, that would mean that Breyer had whiteware of the FAF sitting around in the warehouse for about a decade before using it. While that is possible, I don't think it is realistic.

If you can help me ID this mystery foal, please email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. I'd appreciate any info you can share! And if I do get any more insight on the piece, I'll post an update on the blog.

Stay 'tooned!