Christmas 2020: Barn Visit

No visit to Grammy and Boompa's home is complete without a barn visit, so after all the family had arrived for the Christmas holiday, we headed out to see Abby.

As soon as they were out of the car, the kids took off running for the paddock by the old barn where we always pet the horses.

Abby came trotting up when she spied the kids - she knows what they mean! And when we finished with Abby, they took off again to go to Sultanna and Diablo's pasture.

Lukie reminds me of Randy from A Christmas Story - always trying to catch up with the older kids!

Sultanna and Diablo were happy to have some peppermints, carrots, and the last pieces of Halloween candy corn. (Pony Pal Mila, Cowpoke Lukie, and Pony Pal Kate.)

When the treats were gone, the kids began plucking blades of grass and handing those through the fence.

It wasn't much, but Sultana was agreeable to nibbling on them one blade at a time.

The flatbed hay trailer kept the cowpokes and pony pals entertained for quite a while, but eventually the damp, blustery, cold weather drove us into the new barn to warm up.

Mila loves Tim's "mousetrap," a wooden outhouse with a door labeled, "Do Not Open." Of course, everybody does, and the mousetrap collapses into pieces. (Pony Pal Mila, Emily, Pony Pal Kate on the piano, Vanessa, and Teacher Daughter Lisa.)

Pony Pal Julie gave the cement floor a good sweeping with the antique broom that hangs on the wall.

Then we headed down the barn aisle to look at Tim's vehicle collection. Julie and Kate climbed into the family buggy and discovered the sleigh bells tucked inside.

We were treated to an enthusiastic (and loud) rendition of Jingle Bells. 

Cowpokes Ian, Lukie, and Pony Pal Mila see the vehicles a lot, so they really enjoyed showing their cousins around and sharing what they knew about them.

We spent a good part of the afternoon out at the barn but eventually it was time to head back to the house and the rest of the family. 

Riding Hokey on the Fourth of July

Music City Son Cole and his family came up from Nashville to spend the July 4th weekend with us. One of the things Pony Pals Julie, Kate, and Susie most wanted to do during their visit was ride the horses.

So, early Saturday morning we headed out to the barn. We had quite a crew: Teacher Daughter Lisa, Local Son Curt, Vanessa, Pony Pal Mila with Cowpokes Ian and Lukas, and Cole, Emily, and their family.

Since I was horse wrangling, I didn't get any photos, but Vanessa did and put together this video. The horsey part is the first part and goes to 2:30; after that it's just video of our family enjoying the holiday. I don't know how to clip someone else's video down (or even if that's possible)  so just ignore the non horsey parts.

To help you identify who's who, Lisa is wearing a white blouse, Curt a gold Purdue tee shirt, Cole is wearing all black, and Emily has a blue tee. 

Hokey was an absolute gentleman with the kids and we had a terrific time, although Pony Pal Susie was a little disappointed that there were no pigs. (How she got the idea that there would be pigs is beyond me!)

After our ride, Pony Pal Kate enjoyed helping me fill the trough and while we waited, Aunt Lisa snapped our photo since we were both wearing horsey tee shirts!