Lisa & Purdue's Golden Hammer Educator Event

Second Post of the Day

Saturday was an exciting day for Lisa - she was selected and recognized as one of Purdue University's Golden Hammer Educators!

Needless to say, it was a very big honor! There was a brunch held with Purdue's First Lady, Dr. Kei Hui, and several Deans where the honorees were recognized, given tickets for the football game (and their guests, too), and an appearance on the Jumbotron during the game where the sold out stadium of 61,000 applauded her and the other recipients. 

A goodie bag full of lots of Purdue swag was given out during the brunch.

My degrees may be from Big Ten rival Illinois, but I'll wear a Purdue tee when they honor my daughter!

And I'll make sure everyone knows who I am related to!

Craig's degrees are from Purdue so his wardrobe is full of Purdue shirts.

He, too, made sure everyone knew who he was with!

This young girl attends the school where Lisa teaches. She was not one of Lisa's students, but she was so excited to see Lisa and kept coming over to talk to her. 

Dr. Kei Hui, First Lady of Purdue and an advocate of Education, spent the day with us. She was laughing here because of the sign behind her. 

She jokingly invited two of the Golden Hammer's sponsoring Deans to come up and cover it up so it "doesn't spoil everyone's photo opportunities."

Brunch over, the honorees went with the Deans and Dr. Kei to film their Jumbotron appearances to be played later during the game.

Craig and I had some time to wait, and as we walked around through the crowds, the Purdue Band came marching through and into the stadium. I happened to be seated in my walker right where they were marching and had a great view of the band.

If you watch to the end (it's 2:00 long) you will see this come through!

The World's Largest Drum! Not gonna lie - it's on my bucket list to drum it some day! I was SO close to it this afternoon!! 

So was Lisa! She was on the field with the drum - lucky girl!

Dr. Kei Hiu stayed with the honorees and was happy to take selfies with them. Here they are pre-game while filming their Jumbotron appearances.

And here it is! (1:10)

I did not stay for the game for a couple of reasons as my back was hurting (we'd taken two cars thinking that that might happen.) But the game was televised so I was able to watch from home.

A shot of the sold out stadium of 61,000 people with the Jumbotron in the end zone. (The domed building to the left is Mackey Arena, Purdue's basketball arena.)

Purdue won the game 0-28 which was icing on the cake of a wonderful day. (Can you see the drum down there?)

Congratulations, Lisa! You are an outstanding teacher and you have taught me new teaching skills when watching you. This honor was very well deserved and as Dr. Kei said in her remarks,

"Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions."

Amen to that!

 

And one last video from the band coming through. (1:10)

The twirlers, cheerleaders, flag carriers, and more. (0:25)

Fixing Fencing

First Post of the Day

There is so much happening right now, I could do several mish mosh posts and I would still have things to write about! And those mish moshers would be looooong.  

So, I'm going to do single topic posts, and start with the horses. And as Tim mused (and has said before), "Something always happens when I leave."

From mares foaling unexpectedly (Dolly with Sultanna, Sultanna with Little Feller, and Sultanna with Two Socks) to compressor tanks unexpectedly triggering and more, it does seem that when he needs to travel, something happens. It doesn't happen every time I'm in charge of the barn, but there have been enough times that it has become a running joke between us

And this time, not only did we have the air compressor issue, the very next day when I checked the horses, a strand of fence was down.

I almost missed it; it was the bottom strand of wire and was lying in the grass inside the pasture. 

The downed wire started at the gate by the water trough

went south and turned left at the fence corner, 

and then continued east to the next gate. That's a high tensile wire ratchet/tightener on the wire and lying in the grass. Its edges are pointed and not too sharp, but I still didn't want to leave it lying out in the field.

I didn't think that particular strand of wire was electrified, but I still went into Tim's shop, grabbed some work gloves, and put them on first.  Then I walked around the fence, pulling the downed wire through to the outside all the way back to the gate by the trough.

That done, I called Riley to report the downed fencing. He and I both knew it was highly unlikely that the horses were going to go down on their knees and crawl under the other three strands of wire to go gallivanting, but he said he'd come out and fix it before his Dad returned home. 

Then I texted Tim who made his tongue-in-cheek comment about things happening when he leaves town. He also asked me if I knew who had done it or had any suspicions. I didn't see it happen, but I suspect it was Eazy. First, Sultanna and Hokey have lived there for years and never taken fence down nor have I seen them testing fence, shoving their heads through it to graze on the other side, or reaching underneath the fence to graze.

Eazy, however? He was doing just that during one of the barn checks this week - reaching underneath the fourth wire of the fence to graze. Nine acres to graze from, and still the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Yep!

"Why are you looking at me?? I didn't do it!"

Tim gets home today. I'll still do a barn check after church and hopefully there won't be a third "something" that happens before he arrives!

Stay 'tooned!

Lisa Wins Purdue's Golden Hammer Award

Big day today!

Lisa is receiving Purdue University's Golden Hammer Award for Educators during halftime at the Purdue football game, and Craig and I are invited along as her guests for the ceremony, the game, and the tailgate that Purdue is holding for the recipients. It's a very big deal and recognizes her as one of the best educators in the region.

I am beyond proud of her. I may be her mama, but I am also an educator and I know excellence in the classroom when I see it. Lisa is one of the best of the best.

Congratulations, Lisa. This is a very well deserved award. See you on the Jumbotron!

What a Day!

Yesterday was a day! It was one of those days when you need to be flexible. Big time.

Lisa dropped the dogs off at 8:30 and we got them settled, and then I put Tammo on a leash and headed to the car. "I won't be too long, " I said rather breezily to Craig as I left. "Maybe an hour and then I will also swing by the barn and check the horses when Tammo is finished at the vet. See you soon!"

And off the two of us zoomed.

We suspected that poor Tammo had developed an allergy to something outdoors. Corn or soybean related, dust from harvesting, or some other allergen, but he had begun itching and scratching and chewing constantly. His eyes were rimmed with pink, watering, and swollen at times, and his ears were hot to the touch and itchy. 

Time to see the vet.

He was in worse shape than we'd realized. In between his toes the skin was bright red and inflamed, and the vet was concerned that he'd scratched his cornea while seeking relief. After an hour long exam complete with an eye test and ear cytology and cleaning, the vet confirmed our suspicions that he was very allergic to something in the environment and that he had a lot of inflammation and itchiness as a result.

Poor puppy! He's now on several meds and getting some relief. Last night he slept the best he's slept in about a week. (So did Craig, Pepper, and I.)

Our vet's office is close to the barn, so I popped Tammo back into the car and drove out into the country.

The horses were out in the south pasture and grazing. All was good with them. I proceeded up to the new barn to check and be sure all was well there, too.

It wasn't. 

There was a very loud noise coming from Tim's shop. Was someone in there and working? Tim had told me that the man who sometimes comes out and uses Tim's power tools had been told that the shop was unavailable while Tim was out of town. Had he come out anyway?

That man's car was not present; maybe it was someone else? Or had someone been in the barn going through Tim's things? Had we had a break in?

Suddenly the loud noise stopped. I really needed to check inside and find out what was going on. Calling Craig, I let him know what I had heard and that I wanted him with me on the phone as back up and to call for help in case someone was inside.

As I opened the barn door, a new noise began. A hissing sound coming from a corner of the shop.

I recorded it so I could send it to Tim and let him know something was up.

Just as the previous noise had, the hissing abruptly stopped. I closed the barn door and was getting back into my car when (you guessed it) the loud noise resumed.

I went back inside and recorded that for Tim too, and then finally headed back home.

Craig said it sounded to him like an air compressor, but neither of us could figure out why it was cycling on and off that way. Had someone been inside the barn and maybe messed with it? 

I sent the videos to Tim and then I called his son, Riley, who lives in town and is back-up if I have a problem. He agreed that it sounded like an air compressor but had no answers as to why it would randomly start up - I've been checking the barn daily since Sunday and there had never been anything amiss the other days. Why now? What caused this?

A few hours later Tim texted me and said it was the compressor, but no one has any answers yet as to why it started cycling out of the blue.

So, almost three hours after leaving home with Tammo, we got back home. Nash was thrilled to see Tammo and ready to play, but Tammo had had a long, stressful morning, and wasn't feeling well. He promptly hopped onto the couch next to Craig and crashed into a deep sleep.

The day wasn't over yet, though. It was actually my birthday and I heard from all my children and their families throughout the afternoon. A friend dropped by and I had texts and messages on social media.

Thoughtful guy that he is, Craig organized a family dinner out, inviting Lisa, Curt, Vanessa, and the kids to join us.

While you'd probably never guess the name of the restaurant since it's a small local one, can you tell where we are? Hint: it is very meaningful to me.

Here is something else to guess, just for fun. Music City Son Cole and his family sent me a gift that goes along with a new hobby of mine.

Any guesses?  On either the gift or the restaurant location? Put them below in the comments and I'll spin to win tomorrow and send something out to the winner.

More on the birthday celebrations in the next post.

Stay 'tooned!

More Prep for Happy Trails V/The Dan Patch Fun Show

False Fall and its beautiful weather continues here in western Indiana. It's always fun to horse-sit, but when the weather is this nice? Double win-win!

Spending a little time with Sultanna and Hokey.

Plans for Happy Trails V/The Dan Patch Fun Show are complete now that I have written up the rules and procedures for the Toilet Paper Racing.

Someone has already shared that she's bringing a trophy for the race - I can only imagine what it might look like!

Past Happy Trails shows have had a signing model at the show.

I spray paint a vintage model that has seen better days and put it on a table with a marker, asking everyone to sign their names on it. I end up with a nice memento of the show (and another collection within a collection!)

You never know who is going to sign that model, but having Action Stan do so was a fun surprise!

The 2019 and 2018 Happy Trails signing models.

Happy Trails was not an in-person show in 2020 due to the pandemic. I held a photo show instead and then wrote all the participants' names on the model myself.

For some reason, the paint did not spray smoothly, but I don't mind - it goes along with the pandemic theme, don't you think? Hah!

I bought a new can of spray paint for 2021 and I really like how it looks on the Stretch Morgan.

I will probably go with silver again for this year's show.

Of course, I am using Breyer's Standardbred mold. 

It is actually a pacer, just as Dan Patch was, so it is very appropriate.

When determining a signing model for the show, I always look for a vintage mold that has flaws and dings. This piece is one of those vintage Breyers that suffers from mold so I have no problem spray painting and repurposing it.

I was surprised to discover how sturdy it was - the Standardbred mold is notoriously tippy but this one is rock solid! (I wouldn't set him by my chinas, but still...)

I need to run to the hardware store and choose some paint, and then, if False Fall continues for a few more days, step outside and spray paint this year's model. 

Or, I may just spend more time at the barn enjoying the horses.

Sounds like a plan.

At the Barn Again

With apologies to Willie Nelson:

At the barn again

I just can't wait to get to the barn again

The life I love is giving carrots to my friends

And I can't wait to get back to the barn again!

 Guess who's in charge of the barn this week??

Why, yes, it's me! And I am loving every moment of the daily horse and barn check!

I'm getting to know Eazy much better - he really wants to be around people. What a change from the shy, range-raised young horse who arrived from Texas last fall!

It's been good to spend time with Hokey, too. He is slowing down and spends a lot of time sleeping in the old barn. It's been wonderful to see him out so much and enjoying false Fall's lovely weather.

I even braved the pasture with my walker. It was quite an adventure - my rollator is not very good for off roading, LOL. I knew I would not make it all the way out to Abby's grave, but I did make it halfway there.

To my surprise, the tree that Abby and Two Socks died underneath is gone.

(This photo of Hokey was taken shortly after the mares died.)

There had been a trio of small, scrubby trees right in the center of the pasture that was part of the old farmhouse's property. Now that Tim owns that land and has been cleaning it up, he removed those three trees, too.

A friend asked me if it upset me that the tree was gone since it was so connected to Abby, but I am not sad at all. The pasture looks so much better with those small trees gone. (Besides, I had picked up a piece of wood blown off the tree by the lightning strike and have it tucked away.)

Another change I noticed was the location where Tim is storing the round bales of hay for winter - up by the old barn instead of way out at the western edge of the property. 

My guess is he will be feeding the horses there by the barn, and that will make it much easier for Hokey this winter. No more slogging back and forth to the back pasture any more!

Another bonus? The horses will be far more accessible to me when I visit this winter. It will still be a challenge, especially if there is snow or ice on the ground, but not an impossible one. 

And I can't wait to get back to the barn again!

False Fall & More

Indiana is in the middle of "false Fall," a time when the temperatures are much cooler than is usual for the month and the season. I've been wearing sweaters and starting to think about hot chocolate!  (Note to self: Add marshmallows to the grocery list.)

We are fortunate that along with those cooler temps it has also been sunny with bright blue skies and high white clouds.

Days when barn visits are especially enjoyable and the horses seem extra glad to see you.

Mountain Mama Jessica is also having wonderful weather in the Rockies. She sent me this photo of the mountain that she lives on.

You can see the colors are beginning to change as fall approaches. 

Fall... Back to school.... Makes me want to do some shopping. And I did. Here is a new dress that I just got and wanted to share. (For obvious reasons, LOL!) It's from Svaha USA, a company that originally started out by making quirky clothing for teachers - dresses and tops that were science, math, art, etc. oriented. I loved Svaha USA clothing and wore it a lot when I was teaching.

I happened to come across an ad for this Svaha USA dress, and look what happened!

I'm not in the classroom anymore, but I'm wearing Svaha USA again! The link above will take you to the dress if you are interested in getting one. It's comfy and good quality. (And, it has deep pockets - a plus to me.)

I have finally caught up with my Mercantile sewing orders and have re-opened my books. Dala themed haversacks are wildly popular right now and it's been enjoyable to stitch up different fabrics that have that motif. Here are some recent haversacks:

This pair, and the pair below, sold before I'd even had a chance to post them on my Facebook page.

I don't think I have ever had to re-order a fabric so quickly.

Many Dala fabrics are colorful and cheerful,

but even those in single or limited colors have whimsey and are fun.

These are all sold already; like I said, Dala is on trend right now! (Thanks, BreyerFest 2026!)

Finally, and totally randomly, here is a picture of a very happy Molly.

She was keeping me company last Friday night and when she looked up at me and smiled, I just had to snap that happy, sweet face.